Archives: Bird Species

Female Scaly-sided Merganser standing on a branch in the water

The Scaly-sided Merganser is a diving duck that breeds in Siberia, northern China, and Korea, and winters in southern China and in Russia. This species makes its home along clear,…

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Female Ringed Teal perched on a wooden stump

The Ringed Teal is a colorful dabbling duck of South American forests where it favors swampy tropical forests and marshy clearings in well-wooded lowlands. Although its diet is not well…

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A Marbled Teal standing on a branch

The Marbled Teal is a duck of the Mediterranean region, particularly fond of shallow brackish and freshwater pools with abundant emergent vegetation. This is an omnivorous dabbling duck, eating seeds,…

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Male Hooded Merganser swimming in the water

The Hooded Merganser is a showy diving duck with a distinctive head crest and bright eyes. The smallest of the three merganser species found in North America, the Hooded Merganser…

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Male and female mallards

A very common dabbling duck of the Nearctic region, and introduced elsewhere where it is sometimes considered an invasive pest, the Mallard occurs on almost any body of shallow water,…

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A male and female Bufflehead in the water

The Bufflehead is a small, handsome resident of permanent freshwater ponds and lakes within the boreal forest and aspen parkland zone of North America. The smallest duck species in North…

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An African Pygmy-goose

Weighing just over half a pound, the African Pygmy-Goose is the smallest species of waterfowl in the world! This goose inhabits swamps, marshes, shallow freshwater lakes, and slow-flowing rivers in…

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Palm-nut Vulture perched on a branch

A striking black and white vulture of Sub-Saharan Africa, the Palm-nut Vulture is found along the edges of tropical forests, large rivers, lakes, and seashores, especially where oil palms abound….

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King Vulture perched on a branch

The third largest of the vultures of the Americas, the King Vulture has one of the strongest beaks out of all the American vultures and is able to open carcasses…

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Headshot of a Hooded Vulture

The Critically Endangered Hooded Vulture is a rather small, brown vulture, native to Sub-Saharan Africa. This species mainly occupies open woodland and savanna, but also forest edge, where if feeds…

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Andean Condors are among the largest flying birds, with a body weight of up to 30 pounds and a wingspan of over 10 feet. They are mostly black with large…

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Headshot of a White-cheeked Turaco

A beautiful multicolored bird with flashy white cheeks, the White-cheeked Turaco is native to Sudan, South Sudan, Ethiopia and Eritrea, where they inhabit higher elevation Podocarpus and juniper forests, as…

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In The News

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6 Things to Do in Pittsburgh This Weekend | Pittsburgh Magazine

Up-close encounters can be found throughout the National Aviary, but there may be no better way to get an introduction to some remarkable species than the Aviary’s free-flight bird shows.

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Autism Awareness Month: Autism Resources, Events, and More | Positively Pittsburgh

April is Autism Awareness Month. There are many resources in the Pittsburgh area for families and people with autism including the National Aviary's Sensory Friendly Time!

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National Aviary to debut new immersive show ‘Passport to Parks’ | TribLive

It’s billed as the Aviary’s most immersive free-flight bird show ever, with colorful lights, music, stunning video of parks from around the world and — most exciting of all — some live animal visitors.

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Cathedral of Learning peregrine falcon pair lays first egg of season | Yahoo! News

Carla laid the egg on Sunday afternoon. She will likely lay at least three more.

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Cathedral of Learning peregrine falcon pair lays first egg of season | WPXI

The National Aviary says the peregrine falcons living high up on the side of the Cathedral of Learning have welcomed their first egg of the season.

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