The Edward Youde Aviary () is a

aviary An aviary is a large enclosure for confining birds, although bats may also be considered for display. Unlike birdcages, aviaries allow birds a larger living space where Bird flight, they can fly; hence, aviaries are also sometimes known as flig ...

built over a natural valley at the southern corner of

Hong Kong Park Hong Kong Park is a public park next to Cotton Tree Drive in Central, Hong Kong, Central, Hong Kong. Built at a cost of Hong Kong dollar, HK$398 million and opened on 23 May 1991, it covers an area of and is an example of modern des ...

, which is located in Central at the bottom of the north eastern slope of

Victoria Peak Victoria Peak ( zh, t=太平山, j=taai3 ping4 saan1) is a hill on the western half of Hong Kong Island. It is also known as Mount Austin, and locally as The Peak only generally. With an elevation of , it is the tallest hill on Hong Kong Isla ...

in Hong Kong. The Edward Youde Aviary was opened to the public in September 1992 and managed by the

Urban Council The Urban Council (UrbCo) was a municipal council in Hong Kong responsible for municipal services on Hong Kong Island and in Kowloon (including New Kowloon). These services were provided by the council's executive arm, the Urban Services ...

. The

, largest in Southeast Asia, is named after the late Sir Edward Youde, the Governor of Hong Kong from 1982 to 1986. The valley is bounded by an east-facing slope fully covered with natural vegetation and a west-facing slope previously occupied by a

barracks Barracks are buildings used to accommodate military personnel and quasi-military personnel such as police. The English word originates from the 17th century via French and Italian from an old Spanish word 'soldier's tent', but today barracks ar ...

. It has a highest point of and a lowest point of above the valley floor. This walk-through aviary features a collection of 600

bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class (biology), class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the Oviparity, laying of Eggshell, hard-shelled eggs, a high Metabolism, metabolic rate, a fou ...

s representing 80 species indigenous to

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, southeastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of China, east of the Indian subcontinent, and northwest of the Mainland Au ...

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...

, and

New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu: ''Niu Gini''; , fossilized , also known as Papua or historically ) is the List of islands by area, world's second-largest island, with an area of . Located in Melanesia in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, the island is ...

. Ground-dwelling birds including

pheasant Pheasants ( ) are birds of several genera within the family Phasianidae in the order Galliformes. Although they can be found all over the world in introduced (and captive) populations, the pheasant genera's native range is restricted to Eura ...

leafbird The leafbirds (Chloropseidae) are a family of small passerine bird species found in the Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia. They were formerly grouped with the ioras and fairy-bluebirds in the family Irenidae. As presently defined, the leaf ...

partridge A partridge is a medium-sized Galliformes, galliform bird in any of several genera, with a wide Indigenous (ecology), native distribution throughout parts of Europe, Asia and Africa. Several species have been introduced to the Americas. They ar ...

pigeon Columbidae is a bird family consisting of doves and pigeons. It is the only family in the order Columbiformes. These are stout-bodied birds with small heads, relatively short necks and slender bills that in some species feature fleshy ceres. ...

s and thrushes. Great argus pheasants proclaim their presence by ringing territorial calls and give one of the most elaborate courtship displays in the bird world. The entrance to the aviary consists of a small rectangular building. This building holds on display different types of eggs.

Waterfowl lake

The waterfowl lake linked with Edward Youde Aviary by an inner lake is landscaped to form a swamp to accommodate different species of

waterfowl Anseriformes is an order of birds also known as waterfowl that comprises about 180 living species of birds in three families: Anhimidae (three species of screamers), Anseranatidae (the magpie goose), and Anatidae, the largest family, which i ...

. Some attractive species found in the waterfowl lake are the

Australian pelican The Australian pelican (''Pelecanus conspicillatus'') is a large waterbird in the family Pelecanidae, widespread on the inland and coastal waters of Australia and New Guinea, also in Fiji, parts of Indonesia and as a vagrant in New Zealand. It ...

great white pelican The great white pelican (''Pelecanus onocrotalus'') also known as the eastern white pelican, rosy pelican or simply white pelican is a bird in the pelican family. It breeds from southeastern Europe through Asia and Africa, in swamps and shallow ...

and radjah shelduck.

Caged display area

Some of the characteristic birds cannot be housed in the main aviary. Large

hornbill Hornbills are birds found in tropical and subtropical Africa, Asia and Melanesia of the family Bucerotidae. They are characterized by a long, down-curved bill which is frequently brightly coloured and sometimes has a horny casque on the upper ...

s predate smaller birds, they can only be seen in the three smaller display cages. Three displays let visitors view at a close range. Two cages house the white-crested hornbill and the great pied hornbill, while the other holds various species of birds of the

Malesia Malesia is a biogeographical region straddling the Equator and the boundaries of the Indomalayan and Australasian realms. It is a phytogeographical floristic region in the Paleotropical kingdom. It was first recognized as a distinct region ...

n region.

Outdoor learning activities

During the school term, park staff will conduct educational programmes for school children. Staff will also arrange guided tours for groups. However, the organizer should make prior arrangements with the office.

References

External links

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Top Ten Buildings of the 90s
Building Journal {{Zoos of Hong Kong Hong Kong Park Zoos in Hong Kong Aviaries

Waterfowl lake

Caged display area

Outdoor learning activities

See also

References

External links