What are the best owl exhibits that come to your mind?

[David Matos Mendes]

Afternoon everyone. I'm starting this thread mostly for gathering ideas for inspiration to future projects that are gonna take place at the institution I work at. For now, any pictures of owl exhibits, wether mixed or not, that you consider interesting or over the top would be extremely welcome. Environmental education setups for any strigiformes species would also be very welcome, although the structural/welfare related aspects would be the priority. Thanks in advance!

 

[Julio C Castro]

Afternoon everyone. I'm starting this thread mostly for gathering ideas for inspiration to future projects that are gonna take place at the institution I work at. For now, any pictures of owl exhibits, wether mixed or not, that you consider interesting or over the top would be extremely welcome. Environmental education setups for any strigiformes species would also be very welcome, although the structural/welfare related aspects would be the priority. Thanks in advance!

Hey David! Personally, two of my favorite owl exhibits are both mixed species exhibits from the San Diego Parks. The first image is of the Burrowing Owl exhibit at the San Diego Safari Park. It’s home to California desert tortoises and a loggerhead shrike.



As for the next two, it’s part of the new Basecamp at the San Diego Zoo. Burrowing owls share their home with black tailed prairie dogs which showcase how they live symbiotically.

 

[David Matos Mendes]

Hey David! Personally, two of my favorite owl exhibits are both mixed species exhibits from the San Diego Parks. The first image is of the Burrowing Owl exhibit at the San Diego Safari Park. It’s home to California desert tortoises and a loggerhead shrike.

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As for the next two, it’s part of the new Basecamp at the San Diego Zoo. Burrowing owls share their home with black tailed prairie dogs which showcase how they live symbiotically.
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Hi Julio! Thank you very much for sharing these great examples! Definitely gonna take notes... San Diego never ceases to amaze me.

 

[Julio C Castro]

Hi Julio! Thank you very much for sharing these great examples! Definitely gonna take notes... San Diego never ceases to amaze me.

You’re most welcome! I hope all goes well with projects at your zoo. Burrowing owls have become much charismatic in recent years, I always see guests stop and admire how small they are. It helps that their homes are trying to replicate their homes in the Southwestern U.S. and how they may interact with other native species.

 

[Jurek7]

Most memorable was a very simple walk-through aviary with some low trees and a shed in Walsrode. It contained X rescued owls and invited visitors to find them all. I found about half, including a Barn Owl which wedged itself in a hollow in the roof of the shed directly above peoples heads.

 

[David Matos Mendes]

You’re most welcome! I hope all goes well with projects at your zoo. Burrowing owls have become much charismatic in recent years, I always see guests stop and admire how small they are. It helps that their homes are trying to replicate their homes in the Southwestern U.S. and how they may interact with other native species.

Yes, I agree. Burrowing owls are the most common ones in my region, so an exhibit for them would be very interesting indeed, with similar educational purposes. We don't keep the species at the moment, but it would be definitely interesting to think about!

 

[David Matos Mendes]

Most memorable was a very simple walk-through aviary with some low trees and a shed in Walsrode. It contained X rescued owls and invited visitors to find them all. I found about half, including a Barn Owl which wedged itself in a hollow in the roof of the shed directly above peoples heads.

Very nice! Walkthrough owl exhibits are definitely not something you see very often. I guess it's definitely an idea to think about. Thank you!

 

[snowleopard]

The majority of owls are kept in zoos within basic aviaries, but here are 7 exhibits that all have some kind of theme. I hope this helps!

Walsrode (Germany) has an area devoted to owls that is themed as a castle, complete with turrets and an arched doorway made of bricks.

Hannover Zoo (Germany) has an aviary for Great Grey Owls and Snowy Owls that is themed as if it's at the base of an oil derrick tower.

Osnabruck Zoo (Germany) has a Snowy Owl aviary as part of its 'Manitoba - Canada' area and it looks like a giant barn.

Vogelpark Avifauna (Netherlands) has a castle-themed walk-through aviary for 4 species. Little, Tawny, Barn and Northern Long-eared.

Artis Royal Zoo (Netherlands) has Snowy Owls together with Red-crowned Cranes in a theme of 'old ruins'.

Assiniboine Park Zoo (Canada) had two Snowy Owls in this enormous aviary when I was there in 2018. It's not themed...but it's impressive! You can actually see the two owls:

Tracy Aviary (USA) has an 'Owl Forest' zone, with a number of aviaries that all have tree trunks as posts. It's kind of neat and here is their Great Horned Owl aviary:

 

[Kalaw]

Haven’t got enough time to link a photo, but the Hawk Conservancy Trust in Andover, England has a wonderful Burrowing Owl exhibit. Two similarly sized aviaries, each very well-landscaped and equipped with large onshow indoor areas, and a tunnel down the centre for visitors with excellent theming. For such a small owl species it was excellent to see so much space devoted to them, and genuine work into the thematic and educational elements.

 

[David Matos Mendes]

The majority of owls are kept in zoos within basic aviaries, but here are 7 exhibits that all have some kind of theme. I hope this helps!

Walsrode (Germany) has an area devoted to owls that is themed as a castle, complete with turrets and an arched doorway made of bricks.

Hannover Zoo (Germany) has an aviary for Great Grey Owls and Snowy Owls that is themed as if it's at the base of an oil derrick tower.

Osnabruck Zoo (Germany) has a Snowy Owl aviary as part of its 'Manitoba - Canada' area and it looks like a giant barn.

Vogelpark Avifauna (Netherlands) has a castle-themed walk-through aviary for 4 species. Little, Tawny, Barn and Northern Long-eared.

Artis Royal Zoo (Netherlands) has Snowy Owls together with Red-crowned Cranes in a theme of 'old ruins'.

Assiniboine Park Zoo (Canada) had two Snowy Owls in this enormous aviary when I was there in 2018. It's not themed...but it's impressive! You can actually see the two owls:

Tracy Aviary (USA) has an 'Owl Forest' zone, with a number of aviaries that all have tree trunks as posts. It's kind of neat and here is their Great Horned Owl aviary:

Thank you very much, snowleopard. These are awesome examples! I hope to be able to share with you guys the results of the works we are about to develop.