Smithsonian National Zoo’s New Bird House Highlights Migratory Birds’ Incredible Journeys

Kat Long
Ruddy ducks in the Prairie Pothole Aviary.
Ruddy ducks in the Prairie Pothole Aviary. / Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute
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The National Zoo's new Bird House flyway.
The "flyway" leads visitors into the first aviary in the National Zoo's new Bird House. / Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute

Visitors approach the Bird House through a garden of native plants like highbush blueberry and purple coneflower, whose fruits and seeds provide food for migrating birds. From the house’s new foyer, guests walk through the “flyway,” a hall festooned with larger-than-life photographs of the birds they’re about to see in the three major exhibits, which mimic natural habitats that are crucial for migratory bird survival.

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