Excursion Report for American Museum of Natural History

National Zoo, Washington DC

May 5th, 2024 at the Smithsonian's National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute

One of the first buildings I explored with Dr. Merck, Dr. Holtz, and Maeve was the Bird House! This exhibit is described to have around 80 species of free-flight birds that are located in one of three distinct habitats: the Delaware Bay, a prairie pothole, and a tropical bird friendly coffee farm. A few species that were on display at the Bird House were the American oystercatcher, black-necked stilt, northern pintail, the plain chachalaca, and even horseshoe crabs.


American oystercatcher statue located in the Bay section.


Dr. Holtz holding the bird identification chart in the Bird House.

In order to identify the birds and aquatic species within each aviary a laminated information sheet was provided containing pictures of each species along with their common and scientific names. Statues are also present within the hall, I suspect that these statues may have previously been more interactive elements as they are life size replicas of species found inside each room. One example of these statues is to the left demonstrating how marsh birds such as the American avocet forage for food by sweeping their becks across the sand to stir up any hiding creatures. The Bird House can be enjoyed by every age group with the identification charts and panels along the hallways, such as the Migratory Birds of the Americas, that are accessible to those who speak Spanish as well! Although the Bird House lacked many informational displays, two main methods of presenting information were present, one featuring a bird mascot and the other using traditional plaques. Both of these forms appeal to younger and older audiences as seen by how many people were actually reading the displays.

The next stop was to the Amazonia located between the Andean Bears and the Kid's Farm. Compared to the Bird House, this building is a combination of open spaces containing free flight birds and a more traditional style with species in their own enclosures or tanks representing their natural habitats in the Amazon. The Amazonia features animals such as the Arapaima, the freshwater stingray, the Panamanian golden frog , Roseate spoonbills, and Aquatic caecilian. More traditional plaques and displays containing information about each species are located in this exhibit, however a popular interactive display was located near the electric eels. Visitors were invited to touch both ends of the metal model of an eel in order to complete the current, and a video describing how eels conduct electricity was also shown. Multiple guests wanted to test out the interactive eel in the time we toured with Dr. Merck. The Amazonia building caters more towards older audiences as compared to younger children, particularly due to the species shown along with the emphasis on more complicated topics including information about Amphibian Alert and research from the Coral Lab.


The Aula Classroom found in the Bird House

Beyond the more child friendly plaques and interactive displays located within the Bird House, this exhibit also contains the Aula Classroom which features the Little Critters: Nature Play, a space to tell stories and participate in activities for both children and caregivers. In every corner of the zoo, displays and signs advertise exploring their website to learn more about the veterinary care of the animals at the zoo, accessing live 24/7 webcams, and reading other articles including the latest events at the zoo, such as "Jumping for Joy: Meet the Zoo's New Baby Wallaby" or biological history, such as "A Celebration of Life: 50 Years Under the Endangered Species Act."

The Smithsonian's National Zoo prides itself on constantly improving the environment of their species houses within the zoo as well as providing them significant amounts of enrichment. The Asian Elephants on the Elephant Trails are a prime example of this. The Elephant Community center and its surrounding yards provide the elephants with their choice of four different pools for bathing and swimming along with a quarter-mile path through the woods to simulate the type of elevated terrain which is found in their natural habitat. Keepers also frequently interact with the elephants to ensure no two days are the same; activities with the keepers may include adding tractor tires, musical instruments as well as food-filled paper bags to their enclosure to encourage the elephants to be physically and mentally active. Similarly in the Small Mammal House, enclosures were designed to mimic each animal's natural habitat and provide opportunities for natural foraging and social behaviors. For example, the meerkat's exhibit features climbing rocks and hilly areas so that they can carry out their instinctive guarding behavior.

Additional Pictures! Image Gallery

Meerkat acting as a lookout!
Dwarf Mongoose resting in a hammock.
Sand Cat snoozing in a catbed.
Image Gallery