National Aviary Pittsburgh

Visitor recreation and education: the National Aviary is the nation's Aviary priding itself on providing fun, immersive and educational experiences for their guests. A visit to the National Aviary is unlike any other with lush walk-through habitats where birds fly overhead, interactive daily activities that change every season, exhilarating animal encounters that offer a window into the world of birding conservation and stem-based educational programming. in 2023, the National Aviary welcomed 202,700 guests and provided educational outreach to more than 7,900 people.

Advanced on-site avian treatment and care: the National Aviary's veterinary hospital provides full veterinary care services to meet the needs of over 550 birds and mammals, including primary health care, emergency services, full laboratory testing, anesthesia and surgery. in 2023, 94 birds were treated for medical conditions with a 96% success rate for fully recovering. Medical tests and treatments were customized for each patient according to their species. Specialized procedures, including 63 beak repairs and treatments were performed. Preventative health care practices continued for the Aviary collection with a total of 359 birds receiving preventative health examinations, 173 test screenings and 154 vaccinations. For anti-fungal pneumonia prevention, 2,047 oral doses and 890 inhaled nebulization treatments were given. The african penguin colony received custom-made avian malaria prevention totalling 2,814 individual treatments with 100% success rate. in 2023, 96 birds were treated for injuries with a 98% success rate. Participating in aza species survival plan breeding programs, 42 new birds arrived at the Aviary and received comprehensive preventative health care in quarantine. in the breeding program, 4 important species hatched who received high level neonatal health care exams and preventative treatments, including Guam kingfisher, african penguin, loggerhead shrike and red siskin chicks. in the teaching hospital, 11 pre-veterinary and veterinary students were trained in avian medicine internships and an additional 6 students in mentorship programs. A total of 7 on-site educational classes were given and one senior program. Additionally, the veterinary hospital shared medical procedures developed at the National Aviary with zoos and wildlife centers globally to help advance avian care.

Wildlife conservation and research: the National Aviary made significant improvements to its avian collection in 2023 with the acquisition of 64 birds representing 31 species. Four new species added to the collection incuded the white-headed duck, red-crested finch, speckled mousebird and the yellow-rumped cacique. A total of 37 birds fledged from 12 species highlighted 3 Guam kingfishers, 2 african penguins, 3 easten loggerhead shrikes and 8 red siskens. The National Aviary's department of conservation and field research successfully completed the third year of a study that tests a unique model of sustainable forest management that provides habitats for many more species than normally occurs with traditional even-aged forest management. Our approach creates very small, 1-5 acre gaps through group selection cuts. This approach appears to provide habitat opportunities for important early-successional species while at the same time provides habitat for dispersing fledglings of mature forest species from the surrounding forest. These are two groups of birds most in need of conservation attention so an ability to address forest management for the benefit of both is very important. Additionally, we continued a second major research program in 2023 that is demonstrating how birds depend on mature bottomland hardwood forests in the southeastern us, including the most iconic north american bird, the ivory-billed woodpecker. in 2023, we published the first study since the 1930's that uses multiple lines of evidence, involving repeated observation of multiple individual birds to establish the persistence of this iconic species that is most often thought to be extinct. in 2024, we will continue this program with an extensive search for a nesting pair of ivory-bills. The National Aviary's director of conservation and field research continues to assist in the development of the next generation of conservationists by continuing to teach courses and assist undergraduate and graduate students from chatham university and duquesne university, advising in their theses and dissertation research.

The other remaining expenses are attributable to various exhibits and daily educational programs.