Lorikeet Landing

Walk-through Lorikeet Landing

Some of the world's most beautiful parrots are on exhibit in the Oregon Zoo's Lorikeet Landing -- and visitors can have them eating right out of their hand.*

The brightly-colored and noisy birds, called lories, are housed in a walk-through, open-air aviary just south of the Insect Zoo.

The zoo's Living Collection management emphasizes that the small parrots are very sociable and enjoy being around people. They refer to them as "natural clowns" and indicate that the aviary is "a high public contact area." Lories are visitor favorites because they are quite acrobatic, very vocal and always inquisitive about people. 

Visitors are able to purchase* small paper cups of "nectar" (actually fortified fruit juice) at the aviary entrance. Then, as they walk through it, the parrots fly down and actually drink from the cups. 

The L-shaped aviary measures 75 feet and 50 feet on the sides and is framed by 20-foot-tall fiberglass posts, draped with wire mesh to form the walls and roof. Its winding path passes a small waterfall, a small pool, several trees and vegetation. 

According to the zoo's bird keepers, visitors who go through the aviary "are really in for a treat. These are very friendly, very special birds." 

* Please note that on busy days, the lorikeets may run through their daily allotment of juice before the exhibit closes, therefore the feeding opportunity is not guaranteed.