Behind the waterfall	Feathered beauty	Cascading water you can walk behind

Bird Kingdom - Niagara Falls Aviary

Bird Kingdom
Niagara Falls Aviary
5651 River Road
Niagara Falls ON
Tel: 905-356-8888
Toll Free: 1-866-994-0090
Web site: www.niagarafallsaviary.com

Where in Niagara can you enjoy an expedition through a jungle, a rainforest, and stand behind a towering 35-foot waterfall, while discovering hundreds of strange creatures and glorious tropical birds in both free-flying and observational exhibits? It’s one of the newest attractions in Niagara’s tourist mecca: Niagara Falls Aviary’s Bird Kingdom. All of this is accessible and just a leisurely walk/roll down River Road from the majestic falls.

This amazing climate-controlled attraction, which opened in the spring of 2003, is housed in the old Niagara Falls Museum building. Along with the new addition, it now encompasses approximately 45,000 square feet.

The aviary is open from 9 a.m.-9 p.m. May to October and 9 a.m.-5 p.m. November to April. The last admission to the exhibit is an hour prior to closing. Self-guided and guided tours are available. If a visitor has a disability and needs a personal escort you are advised to call ahead.

Admission prices are: $14.95 + tax for adults; $13.95 + tax for seniors and $9.95 + tax for children ages 3-12 years. A special rate applies for school groups. Tickets are good for the day, which means you may leave and come back at any time during the day.

PARKING: Although there are no designated parking spots, you have the option of parking underground off River Road or taking the first side street (Hiram Street) on the left past the main entrance and parking up top.

ENTRANCE: The entrance is flat and has automatic doors. The only possible drawback is the flooring, which is Spanish tile and rather bumpy. As you enter, there is a restaurant on your right and a large gift shop on the left.

TOUR: The tour starts on the 3rd floor and visitors in wheelchairs or scooters are escorted to the elevator. On the third floor, which is all original 1906 hardwood flooring, you’re handed an identification card of the different species in this small bird aviary. The window wall offers a wonderful view of the river and the Rainbow Bridge to the U.S. Numerous pairs of binoculars are positioned along the window ledge to give you a great close-up of the scenery.

From this exhibit you enter the nocturnal area where night-time is replicated in order for visitors to view these nocturnal creatures. The fibre-optic ceiling resembles a starry sky and a Steerman bi-wing plane that was used for military training is suspended from the ceiling. After the aviary closes for the day the lights are turned on in this area.

Three levels of birds, ground, tree and higher	Tame Lorikeets	Entrance to Indonesian area

You now enter the three-storey area patterned after the Indonesian rainforest. The waterfall cascades down to the jungle floor and free-flying exotic birds soar through the palm trees and lush greenery. Visitors gradually meander down wide stone ramped walkways to the jungle floor and the marsh area. Among the numerous species, you will see the popular toucans, blue and gold macaws, chaco chachalaca and hunting cissa. Birds in the aviary come from all over the world with the majority from Australia, South America, Southeast Asia and Africa. There is even a separate enclosed area called Lorikeet Haven where visitors can enjoy a unique up close and personal encounter with the friendly lorikeets (small parrots) that will sit on your hands, head and shoulders.

Fish with strange-sounding names can be seen in the pools at the base of the rainforest: the tilapia fish, and the pacu from the River Amazon, which is called a vegetarian piranha. Mandarin ducks are the latest addition to the aviary. These are very timid, our guide tells us, and we were fortunate to see them, as they don’t come out into the open very often.

Perhaps the most interesting exhibit in the aviary is the Java House, part of a 125-year-old traditional house from East Java. Intricately hand carved out of solid teakwood from Jakarta, the house was constructed without nails with the front door facing south, the symbolic direction of the sea. In today’s modern world, these detailed houses have been dismantled and most have been removed from the island. Pieces can be found in some hotel lobbies and banks.

This particular structure was discovered by Larry Vann, the owner and creator of the aviary, in pieces and wrapped in rotting burlap and stored in an old tractor trailer 30 kilometres from the aviary. Although instructions for assembling the structure no longer existed, each piece was numbered and over a period of two years the building was finally reassembled. Visitors can go through the Java House to the Java House Café.

Every good attraction ends in a gift shop and the Niagara Falls Aviary is no exception with a lovely selection of souvenirs and gifts. Stressing the educational component, a huge selection of books on bird species and nature in general is displayed. There is also a lovely assortment of Crabtree & Evelyn toiletries and Rossi glassware.

	Beautifully detailed bathrooms in old building

WASHROOM: There are two accessible washrooms in the building, on the ground floor and the second floor. The accessible stall in the ground floor washroom is directly opposite the main washroom entrance making for easy accessibility. There is a grab bar on the back of the toilet. The two sinks are open below and have push button faucets. Soap and paper towel dispensers are within reach. Mirrors need to be lowered to the top of the sinks, as they are not usable for people in wheelchairs or on scooters.

The second floor washroom is enormous and lavishly decorated with a black and white theme. The accessible stall has a door that opens out with a nice low purse hook. There are grab bars around the toilet. Five sinks are set in a vanity that is open below. All the sinks have push button faucets.

The Niagara Falls Aviary is a popular educational attraction for area schools whose tours include a 30-minute classroom session and a one-hour tour. Of special interest is the fact that the designers of Disney’s Wild Kingdom in Florida and Atlantis in the Bahamas helped in the design and structure of the aviary.

With the ongoing destruction of the rainforests in today’s world it’s comforting to know that the more than 86 species of wildlife in the Bird Kingdom also known as the Niagara Falls Aviary have found a safe haven.

Audited 2005, updated Aug. 2006