Published on Jul, 2023
I love animals but I've never had a chance to interact with birds before and to be honest I wasn't expecting much from Kuranda Birdworld - maybe a nice way to fill some time looking at pretty creatures. So it was a wonderful surprise to step into the aviary and discover that we were sharing space with the exhibits - not just looking at them through cage bars.
Better still, I had purchased a little brown paper bag of seed/nuts at the ticket counter, and the moment the birds saw that bag, I had several instant best friends. Parrots of all varieties took turns to land on my shoulders, my head, my forearms, they were hanging upside down off my handbag... one climbed under my arm for a cuddle as I was leaning on a fence railing! And they were almost all perfectly gentle and well-behaved - although sometimes a bit pushy in pursuit of an almond! This experience was so charming, we went back again the following day and it was equally fun the second time.
What you need to know:
1) The aviary is large and tall so the birds can fly freely, and consists of an easy-to-access main covered feeding area, above a winding paved path that snakes around down the side of a hill and back to the top again. In the middle there are a series of filtered ponds for the ducks and other water birds. The aviary is landscaped with lots of trees and shrubs, so the birds have got plenty of spots to perch and nest. The uphill walking is not too challenging and there are hand-rails along the way. If you're enjoying the visit, you'll probably stroll around the track a few times to see all the different varieties of birds.
2) There is a bit of cover here and there in case of rain, but not a huge amount.
3) The aviary is clean and very well maintained and the animals are happy, healthy and sassy. We observed staff regularly cleaning to keep things fresh, and the staff were also lovely and open to talking about the birds and the aviary itself.
4) Some of the parrots will decide they like the look of you and just fly from wherever they are to land on your shoulder or head - it doesn't hurt but if the idea of this scares you (eeek! it's in my hair!), then this experience is perhaps not for you.
5) We arrived well before midday on both of our visits and there were still bags of bird-food available to purchase at the ticket counter. People who arrived some time after us missed out as the supply of bird food ran out. Note - It's not the end of the world if you don't get the bird food - but you certainly receive more attention from the feathered beakies if you do have some!
6) We noticed that many of the birds were reluctant to interact with the kids who were dashing about and being excitable. If you want your kids to have a great experience, see if you can get them to stand still and speak quietly, or at least move slowly and patiently.
7) The larger parrots can get a bit pushy with you (I had one force his head and entire upper body into the bag of bird food when I was too slow pulling some out), but it's not a good idea to get pushy with them. If you try to pat them, or move in a way that startles them, they may give you a nip. They don't draw blood or anything, but you know, full disclosure.
Anyway, we absolutely loved Kuranda Birdworld - it was the highlight of our entire trip to QLD and considering what we spent on other activities only to receive far less satisfaction, I have to say the birds offer magnificent value for money!
