Kuala Lumpur Bird Park- Birds in Free Flight

 

I have always been a fan of eco-tourism sites, which meant that a visit to the Kuala Lumpur Bird Park was a must. It is a renowned part of the 60 hectares Lake Garden and is regarded as the largest covered park of the world. Located 10 minutes away from the Kuala Lumpur city center, the 20 acres Bird Park is also called the Taman Burung Kuala Lumpur. Established in 1991, the park is home to approximately 3,000 birds that belong to 200 local as well as foreign species. The Jurong Bird Park in Singapore is also famous, but KL Bird Park is twice its size and easily outdoes it. 

However, the feature that sets the Kuala Lumpur Bird Park apart from other similar parks and what drew me to it, is the concept of free-flight. The birds roam around freely and are accustomed to being surrounded by people. I strolled through the walk-in aviary and had the opportunity to see hornbills, hawk eagles, ostriches, Mandarin ducks, and other birds. The park also houses the crowned pigeon, which is the world’s largest pigeon species and I also got to see the Indian blue peacock and its unique and colorful five-foot train. 


Birds  

In order to make it easier for people to see the birds, they have divided the park into several sections. There is World of Parrots, Hornbill Park, Flamingo Pond, Brahminy Land and many more. The various species of the featured creatures are kept in separate enclosures, but they can fly freely inside. I saw a stunning collection of Brahminy kites in Brahminy Land. It is the most popular bird of prey in Malaysia. My favorite was the walk-in aviary, World of Parrots that housed around 20 species of parrots such as Lories, cockatoos, parakeets and macaws. There were different flamingos in Flamingo pond whereas I saw about 50 different species of brilliant and unique oriental birds in the Oriental Birds Aviary. 

Hornbills  

One of the most notable areas of the park is the hornbill area because it houses up to seven varieties of hornbills. Most of these are found in Malaysia and this also includes one of the largest hornbill species in the world; a pair of majestic rhinoceros hornbills.   

Great Photos  

I found the tiled walkways great for getting a good look at the beautiful birds. I also fed some of the pelicans and had my photograph taken with the macaws and eagles. The landscaped gardens are amazing and their beauty is magnified by the thrushes and finches chirping in the trees, the flamingos and storks frolicking in the water and the owls hooting in the barn. 

One of the best things about the Kuala Lumpur Bird Park is that it has something for everyone. The kids also enjoyed a lot as there were bird shows to keep them occupied. Plus, we were lucky enough to go at a time when they were starting feeding sessions for hornbills, eagles and ostriches. There is also a playground where kids had plenty of fun. The gardens had exercise stations and jogging tracks and visitors were also given the chance to use rowing boats. 

We were also able to hire binoculars to see some of the bird species from a distance and bought some snacks and drinks to munch on from the refreshment kiosk. The park also has a reference center where we can find out more about the birdlife, if interested. We also visited the Egg Incubation room and Nursery and got a firsthand look at how incubators are used for artificially incubating chicken eggs. It was a very different and fun experience for everyone.   

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