The Park is very proud of its collection, which includes birds from 18 of the 25 bird orders found in the world, making it the biggest collection in France by far and one of the most diverse in Europe.
The experienced and skilled scientific team at the Park is responsible for developing the collection on a regular basis through breeding programs in the Park itself and exchanges with other European parks.
Out of all the species living in the Park, 50 are on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species. Seventeen of those species are also part of the intensive European Endangered Species Program (EEP), which manages populations of endangered species in European zoos and animal parks. A further 27 species are listed in European Studbooks (ESB), which are registers of individuals of a certain species, used to help promote population management in captivity. Parc des Oiseaux is the studbook keeper of the Saddle-billed Stork.
Parc des Oiseaux is committed to raising awareness about the need to protect and save threatened and endangered species and their habitats all over the planet. We’re playing our part by supporting large national and European institutions, whose work includes maintaining genetically viable populations of birds in captivity. The Park is a member of the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA).
The Park is committed to providing its residents with environments that are as similar as possible to their natural habitats in the interest of their well-being, which simultaneously allows visitors to see the birds behaving as they would in the wild.
Each bird lives in an environment that is suited to its needs, thanks to the careful design of the surrounding vegetation.
This allows visitors to understand the complex relationships and interactions between the animals and their environment, thus recreating a biological community within each enclosure.
The Park is set up around a central lake where the local Dombes vegetation, such as reeds and rushes, naturally predominates. More exotic zones surround the lake, each one defined by the specific vegetation within, specially chosen to recreate faraway landscapes.
The Bird Show – The 150 birds and around 20 different species starring in our breath-taking show make it the most impressive bird show in the world. While many European presentations usually let birds of prey steal the show, we prefer to feature species that reflect the rich and diverse variety of birds we have here. Most of the birds starring in our show were born and raised by our team at the Park.
The show will be the highlight of your visit as the Parc des Oiseaux pulls out all the stops to show off its magnificent birds as they were meant to be seen Â- in flight.
Listen to the informative commentary to find out more about the birds’ sensory and flight abilities, their way of life and the reasons why the survival of certain species is currently under threat.
The show was awarded the “Meilleur événement artistique et festif” (Best artistic and festive event).
Text quoted from Le Parc des Oiseaux website. Image copyright Le Parc des Oiseaux.