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Holiday Hours Notice! The National Aviary will be OPEN on Tues., November 26 and CLOSED on Thurs. November 28 to staff, volunteers, and guests may enjoy Thanksgiving. Plan Your Visit

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Community Science

Explore Your World with Community Science

You don’t need to be a scientist to do community science—the only requirement is your own curiosity! Community science with the National Aviary brings opportunities for families and individuals throughout southwestern Pennsylvania to engage in the scientific process and discover the natural world in their own backyard or local park. Community science is real science that uses the interest and ability of large numbers of people to make accurate observations of nature. National Aviary researchers work with community members to teach them what to look for, what information to collect, and how to record and submit their data. Community science can contribute significantly to scientific studies of birds. Projects like the Christmas Bird Count and the Great Backyard Bird Count have used the observations of community members for decades!

We invite people to help with studies of nesting backyard birds, migrating owls, and wintering hummingbirds.

Project Owlnet

Project Owlnet is a continent-wide research effort to understand the migration of Northern Saw-whet Owls.

Neighborhood Nestwatch 

The National Aviary works with dozens of families in urban, suburban, and rural areas around Pittsburgh to document the survival and reproductive success of eight common bird species.

Tracking Western Hummingbirds

The National Aviary Ornithologist Bob Mulvihill follows up on reports of unusual hummingbirds. Banding these tiny birds helps scientists understand their migration patterns.

In The News

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Meet Wanda, a critically endangered Vietnam pheasant hatched at the National Aviary | CBS News

The National Aviary is introducing visitors to Wanda, a critically endangered Vietnam pheasant chick that hatched this spring.

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Guam kingfishers hatched at National Aviary among first released into wild in nearly 40 years | CBS News

Three Guam kingfishers that hatched at the National Aviary have been released on an island in the Pacific, marking the first time their species has been in the wild in nearly 40 years.

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Guam Sihek Released to the Wild | National Aviary

Nine Guam Kingfishers have been released to the wild on Palmyra Atoll, making them the first of their kind to reside in the wild since the 1980s.  

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Take an Enchanting Journey through Forests this fall at the National Aviary! | National Aviary

Explore the Aviary’s new fall seasonal theme, Forests Presented by Peoples; learn more about the creatures who inhabit these woodland areas during TWO new daily activities, and say “hello again!” to the adorable Eurasian Eagle-Owl making her Animal Ambassador debut!

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  Extinct in the Wild birds head to new home ahead of first wild release | National Aviary

Precious Guam Kingfishers arrived on the Pacific Island as part of a project to re-establish a wild population 

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