The display of animals in captivity is something that Singapore does well and Jurong Bird Park with its beautifully landscaped setting and many free flying aviaries is an excellent example. This 50 acre park on Jurong hill started off as a place for city dwellers to relax in and expanded into an internationally acclaimed zoo with 5000 birds of 38 species among which 29 are endangered varieties. Sheraton Towers Singapore, a popular luxury hotel in Singapore located in the heart of the city is the place to stay to access city attractions easily.
Visitors to Jurong Bird Park never fail to be amazed by spectacular displays such as the 13 storey high 2 ha walk through aviary where a collection of 600 African birds fly free. The 30 meter high manmade waterfall and the rainforest setting of this aviary set the standard for the display of birds in captivity and have been copied by similar facilities around the world. Flamingo Lake and Flamingo Pool with flocks of African, Chilean and Caribbean flamingos, the nocturnal house stimulating a starlit jungle with a collection of owls and other night feeders, a large walk in aviary with 260 varieties of exotic South East Asian birds where a thunderstorm is staged daily at noon much to the delight of visitors, thirty two aviaries in one hectare displaying the world’s largest collection of parrots are among the attractions. Birds of prey, South American Toucans, rainforest birds, Asian Hornbills, penguins, pelicans, lorikeets, Mandarin ducks, wetland birds, shore birds, pigeons the size of chickens, a flock of scarlet ibis, spoonbills and birds of paradise are among the park’s representative birds from all climatic zones and every type of habitat. The birds are displayed among thousands of flowering plants, bamboo, palms, water plants and shrubs. The 167 species of heliconias here are dependent on the park’s humming birds for pollination.
Daily bird shows featuring clever raptors, macaws, hornbills, parrots and a hundred other feathered creatures, lunch with macaws, chatting with Amazon parrots and cockatoos that laugh, cry and paint, feeding time with live commentaries from the keepers, wildlife tours, falconry and other experiences enable visitors to enjoy the birds rather than passively viewing them.
Pushpitha Wijesinghe is an experienced independent freelance writer. He specializes in providing a wide variety of content and articles related to the travel hospitality industry.