Uploaded March 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
The Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute (NZCBI) invites visitors to soar into its renovated Bird House, opening Monday, March 13. The innovative exhibit explores the fascinating world of migratory songbirds, waterfowl and shorebirds native to North, Central and South American ecosystems. Migratory birds play critical roles in pest control, pollination and seed dispersal for trees and plants as well as crops. Bilingual panels—in English and Spanish—tell the story of how migratory birds connect communities and contribute to healthy ecosystems across the Americas.
As Zoo visitors “migrate” through the shores of the Delaware Bay, a lush prairie pothole and a tropical Bird Friendly coffee farm, free-flighted birds stride, paddle, tweet and fly all around them. These multi-sensory, immersive aviaries mimic natural ecosystems—places that are of critical importance to the annual life cycles of migratory birds and that boost human well-being. From this exhibit, visitors can learn seven simple actions to live bird friendly to protect native species in their own backyards. The Bird House opening celebration is made possible with the support of Boeing.
Upon reopening, more than 170 individual birds representing 56 species will be on view in the new Bird House and another 16 species in the surrounding outdoor exhibits on the bird plateau. In the first of three walk-through aviaries, visitors will learn about shorebird migration in the Delaware Bay. Along with birds like the red knot and ruddy turnstone, the aviary features horseshoe crabs, fish and invertebrates native to the Delaware Bay. Visitors will cross into the Prairie Pothole region of the northern Great Plains to view species of waterfowl and shorebirds—including ducks and black-necked stilts—while learning the importance of the wetlands. In the tropical Bird-Friendly Coffee Farm, visitors can see the migratory Baltimore oriole or wood thrush and a resident flock of barred parakeets. As they observe songbirds flitting among the coffee plants, visitors learn how agricultural sites can provide critical habitat for birds and other animals. The outside habitats on the plateau will feature charismatic favorites such as barred owls, standard bronze turkeys, sandhill cranes, whooping cranes and American flamingos, among others. Visitors can get to know the Bird House’s animals during daily keeper talks and animal encounters.
The Bird House closed for renovation Jan. 2, 2017. In keeping with NZCBI’s conservation mission, the renovated exhibit was built within the walls of the Zoo’s historic 1928 Bird House. More than 80% of the existing masonry walls were retained with the intention of reducing the building’s carbon footprint. The exhibit was designed to meet the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold standards. LEED certification will take place about six months after the exhibit opens. The building’s glass contains a ceramic frit pattern of horizontal lines, making it more visible to birds in an effort to prevent window collisions. The public opening of the Bird House March 13 marks the completion of this six-year, $69 million project.
As visitors approach the Bird House, they are greeted by the Plateau Gardens, a green space abundant with native trees, bushes and flowers. The promenade serves as a model for planting bird-friendly gardens, which offer food and shelter for birds, insects and other local wildlife. Native plant species at the Plateau Gardens include downy serviceberry trees, eastern redbud trees, red-twig dogwood trees, highbush blueberry bushes and purple coneflowers, among others.
Upon entering the Bird House, visitors will observe a towering mosaic arch decorated with parrots, toucans, songbirds and other tropical species. This artwork was originally part of the 1928 front entrance to the Bird House. Designed and fabricated by local artisan John Joseph Earley, the arch is made of polychrome concrete imbedded with glass and colored marbles. Using the same methods and materials, Earley designed and fabricated the historic pillar head (capital) that is on exhibit in the Plateau Gardens. This colorful capital—which was buried on Bird House grounds and uncovered during excavation—once flanked the Bird House’s entryway.
As visitors make their way to the aviaries, they pass through the Flyway—an immersive experience where aluminum bird silhouettes are suspended from the ceiling in a murmuration formation, providing a sense of movement throughout the space. The walls of the Flyway feature larger-than-life stunning images of some of the birds visitors will meet in the aviaries, including the wood thrush, black-necked stilt, sanderling, canvasback and other native birds.
The Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute (NZCBI) invites visitors to soar into its renovated Bird House, opening Monday, March 13. The innovative exhibit explores the fascinating world of migratory songbirds, waterfowl and shorebirds native to North, Central and South American ecosystems. Migratory birds play critical roles in pest control, pollination and seed dispersal for trees and plants as well as crops. Bilingual panels—in English and Spanish—tell the story of how migratory birds connect communities and contribute to healthy ecosystems across the Americas.
As Zoo visitors “migrate” through the shores of the Delaware Bay, a lush prairie pothole and a tropical Bird Friendly coffee farm, free-flighted birds stride, paddle, tweet and fly all around them. These multi-sensory, immersive aviaries mimic natural ecosystems—places that are of critical importance to the annual life cycles of migratory birds and that boost human well-being. From this exhibit, visitors can learn seven simple actions to live bird friendly to protect native species in their own backyards. The Bird House opening celebration is made possible with the support of Boeing.
Upon reopening, more than 170 individual birds representing 56 species will be on view in the new Bird House and another 16 species in the surrounding outdoor exhibits on the bird plateau. In the first of three walk-through aviaries, visitors will learn about shorebird migration in the Delaware Bay. Along with birds like the red knot and ruddy turnstone, the aviary features horseshoe crabs, fish and invertebrates native to the Delaware Bay. Visitors will cross into the Prairie Pothole region of the northern Great Plains to view species of waterfowl and shorebirds—including ducks and black-necked stilts—while learning the importance of the wetlands. In the tropical Bird-Friendly Coffee Farm, visitors can see the migratory Baltimore oriole or wood thrush and a resident flock of barred parakeets. As they observe songbirds flitting among the coffee plants, visitors learn how agricultural sites can provide critical habitat for birds and other animals. The outside habitats on the plateau will feature charismatic favorites such as barred owls, standard bronze turkeys, sandhill cranes, whooping cranes and American flamingos, among others. Visitors can get to know the Bird House’s animals during daily keeper talks and animal encounters.
The Bird House closed for renovation Jan. 2, 2017. In keeping with NZCBI’s conservation mission, the renovated exhibit was built within the walls of the Zoo’s historic 1928 Bird House. More than 80% of the existing masonry walls were retained with the intention of reducing the building’s carbon footprint. The exhibit was designed to meet the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold standards. LEED certification will take place about six months after the exhibit opens. The building’s glass contains a ceramic frit pattern of horizontal lines, making it more visible to birds in an effort to prevent window collisions. The public opening of the Bird House March 13 marks the completion of this six-year, $69 million project.
As visitors approach the Bird House, they are greeted by the Plateau Gardens, a green space abundant with native trees, bushes and flowers. The promenade serves as a model for planting bird-friendly gardens, which offer food and shelter for birds, insects and other local wildlife. Native plant species at the Plateau Gardens include downy serviceberry trees, eastern redbud trees, red-twig dogwood trees, highbush blueberry bushes and purple coneflowers, among others.
Upon entering the Bird House, visitors will observe a towering mosaic arch decorated with parrots, toucans, songbirds and other tropical species. This artwork was originally part of the 1928 front entrance to the Bird House. Designed and fabricated by local artisan John Joseph Earley, the arch is made of polychrome concrete imbedded with glass and colored marbles. Using the same methods and materials, Earley designed and fabricated the historic pillar head (capital) that is on exhibit in the Plateau Gardens. This colorful capital—which was buried on Bird House grounds and uncovered during excavation—once flanked the Bird House’s entryway.
As visitors make their way to the aviaries, they pass through the Flyway—an immersive experience where aluminum bird silhouettes are suspended from the ceiling in a murmuration formation, providing a sense of movement throughout the space. The walls of the Flyway feature larger-than-life stunning images of some of the birds visitors will meet in the aviaries, including the wood thrush, black-necked stilt, sanderling, canvasback and other native birds.
