European (Tea)Cup - FINALS LEAGUE - Chester vs Tierpark Berlin

[TeaLovingDave]

This should be quite an interesting one I reckon, with a lot of potential for discussion and debate on both sides - once again, a general note that even if providing explanations and evidence for your vote is not (usually) mandatory, it is very much preferred and may help to attract further discussion and votes on both sides.

The category for this one is BIRDS.

Enjoy!

 

[CrashMegaraptor]

Oooh, now this one could be interesting, as I know for a fact both have a very VERY solid bird collection.

 

[TeaLovingDave]

As usual, I will be largely sitting this one out initially to let others make their case - but I will kick things off by suggesting that although Tierpark Berlin *does* have the marginally-larger bird collection in terms of species, and plenty of oddities, Chester has a rather larger number of noteworthy and high-quality exhibits and a much more solid track record when it comes to involvement with conservation programmes.

 

[pipaluk]

This looks like being another close one. Even though I've been to both I am not sure which way I will end up voting.

 

[CrashMegaraptor]

Y'know what? It's very tight, but I'm leaning very narrowly towards Chester. Both have definite stand-out exhibits - I've always been a big fan of the big vulture aviary at T-Berlin, as well as the old gull aviary which I'm not completely sure is there anymore, but I will say that for the most part, the exhibits felt like, well, just that - exhibits. Chester's felt slightly more like an emersion, for the most part - not saying there's no "just exhibits" there, but you gotta give props for how visually pleasing they are. But hey, maybe T-Berlin has had some massive blow-up in the almost-decade since I last went, in which case I'd genuinely be interested to read.

 

[snowleopard]

This is a close one! I'll provide a quick overview of some of Berlin Tierpark's aviaries while someone else can look at Chester Zoo. I'm not sure how accurate these numbers are now, but when I toured Berlin Tierpark in 2019 the Pheasantry had 47 species, the Bird of Prey zone had 20 species, and there were birds all over the park.

The Vulture Aviary is one of the world's great zoo aviaries, with at least a half-dozen vulture species and other birds in a large structure.

@SivatheriumGuy

I took this photo in 2019, before visitors could walk into the aviary, and look at how small the people are.

Stork Aviary:

@MagpieGoose

Seabird Aviary:

@FunkyGibbon

Heron Aviary:

Even some of the lesser-known aviaries, such as this one for Ural Owls, are well done.

@Philipine eagle

Himalayan Monal Aviary:

@Philipine eagle

Aviary Pavilion:

@SivatheriumGuy

 

[CrashMegaraptor]

The Vulture Aviary is one of the world's great zoo aviaries, with at least a half-dozen vulture species and other birds in a large structure.

@SivatheriumGuy

I remember when they had over a dozen species. It was one of the highlights of my visits.

 

[TeaLovingDave]

Hopefully someone else will come along to provide further and more in-depth information relating to Chester, but to get the ball rolling here are some of the particular highlights where larger-scale category-relevant exhibits are concerned:

Tropical Realm

Although nowhere near the same scale as exhibits such as Masoala or the Bush, I believe that the Tropical Realm house at Chester is one of the very best free-flight exhibits in a European collection - although the house is now somewhat time-worn, dating as it does to the 1960s, this also means that the vegetation within is fully-mature and has developed over many years, and a wide variety of bird species are present within the main body of the house. It is quite possible - and very enjoyable - to sit in the house for a prolonged period using binoculars to spot as many species as possible, From memory, the following are currently present as free-flying species - although I am almost certainly omitting some, and may be incorrectly including one or two which are no longer present:

• Blue-throated Piping-guan
• Brazilian Tanager
• Pekin Robin
• Asian Fairy Bluebird
• Orange-headed thrush
• Java Sparrow
• Madagascar Red Fody
• Mindanao Bleeding-heart
• Luzon Bleeding-heart
• Sunbittern
• Grey-capped Emerald Dove
• Nicobar Pigeon
• White-naped Pheasant Pigeon
• Victoria Crowned Pigeon
• Blue-crowned Laughingthrush
• Schalow's Turaco
• Great Argus Pheasant
• Blue-naped Mousebird

Within the house there are several large aviaries for hornbills and other larger bird species, including Javan Green Magpie:

The upper levels of the house have been closed to the public since the onset of COVID lockdowns, but the aviaries are still in use and visible from afar, containing a variety of smaller passerines.

Monsoon Forest

The fact that Chester has not one but *two* large tropical houses serving as free-flight aviaries is one of the particular strengths of the collection where this category is concerned - although I have a lot more fondness for Tropical Realm, the newer house is nonetheless also one of the best of its kind in Europe and again provides a lot of scope for prolonged birdwatching on multiple levels in order to spot the inhabitants.

I don't have an up-to-date list for the species present within the house, but many of the Indonesian species listed for Tropical Realm are also present here. Species which are definitely present and *only* found within Monsoon Forest include Grosbeak Starling, Black-browed Barbet, Black-naped Oriole and Pink-necked Green Pigeon.

The house also contains a pair of large aviaries - one indoor and one outdoor - for Javan Rhinoceros Hornbill:

Songbird Walkthrough Aviaries

The Islands exhibit complex contains a pair of smaller outdoor walkthrough aviaries for Indonesian songbird species; one is themed around the concept of a "Bali Temple" whilst the other is a more traditional walkthrough aviary. The former contains the following species from memory:

• Bali Myna
• Red Junglefowl
• Pied Imperial Pigeon
• Java Sparrow

whilst the latter contains:

• Oriental Magpie Robin
• Grey-capped Emerald Dove
• Asian Glossy Starling
• Silver-eared Mesia
• Salvadori's Pheasant
• Bronze-tailed Peacock-pheasant
• White-rumped Shama.

Both of these have associated enclosed aviaries - hopefully someone can confirm the exact species selection within these.

Tsavo Aviary

However, the Tsavo Aviary within the new Heart of Africa complex - which predates the complex by almost 20 years and has merely been given a cosmetic touch-up to help it to blend in with the newer exhibit areas - is even better than the above-discussed songbird aviaries. In my opinion this is one of the best walkthrough aviaries in the UK, if not Europe, and one of my favourite zoo exhibits full stop:

Per a comment on the second photograph above, the exhibit currently contains the following species:

• Bruce's Green Pigeon
• Purple Glossy Starling
• Lilac-breasted Roller
• Blacksmith Plover
• Hamerkop
• Maccoa Duck
• Red-winged Starling
• Hottentot Teal
• Village Weaver

Latin American Wetland Walkthrough

A very large and attractive walkthrough aviary for a wide range of species, including:

• Puna ibis
• Caribbean Flamingo
• Orinoco Goose
• Black-winged Whistling Duck
• Puna Teal
• Muscovy Duck
• Black-necked Stilt
• Argentine Lake Duck
• Scarlet Ibis

----

There are numerous other relevant exhibits at Chester which require discussion and which I believe serve as strong evidence of the many strengths of Chester in this regard; however, photo upload limits, time, and my desire to - where possible - allow other people to take the lead in discussions preclude me from going into detail now.

Naturally, if no one else bothers I will pick up the baton once again, but for now I indicate the following and urge others to present the case for these exhibits in particular:

• Heart of Africa - Wetland Aviary, mixed aviary for Lovebirds and others, mixed African vulture aviary, Milky Eagle-owl aviary
• Realm of the Red Ape - assorted aviaries
• Dragons in Danger - assorted aviaries
• European Aviary
• Pheasant and Owl Aviaries

There are other stand-alone aviaries which also merit discussion, but I think the above are of greatest priority.

Moreover, I request that someone *also* take up the baton where discussing the strong (past and present) track record at Chester with regards to involvement in the conservation and captive breeding of endangered birds - particularly parrots, laughingthrushes and pheasants. For now, I will note that Chester manages a total of nine bird studbooks, including Javan Green Magpie - a species whose presence in European collections is entirely the result of imports (and captive breeding efforts) spearheaded by Chester in 2015

the Pheasantry had 47 species

Significantly fewer now, in significantly patchier numbers and in significantly more dilapidated aviaries, sadly - there was a definite downturn from 2014 to 2018, and then again from 2018 to my most recent visit in 2025.

The Vulture Aviary is one of the world's great zoo aviaries, with at least a half-dozen vulture species and other birds in a large structure.

Offhand I believe it is currently sitting at seven species in total - it is definitely the best category-related exhibit at the Tierpark, even if it is somewhat smaller than it used to be prior to the ABH renovation.

 

[CrashMegaraptor]

I will say, if you're going to get a sense of the sort of birds you'd see at either Chester or T-Berlin... do NOT rely on the official websites. Whilst they do both have lists of their "highlight" animals, I suppose you could call them, the variety of birds they have is GROSSLY understated.

 

[TeaLovingDave]

Naturally, if no one else bothers I will pick up the baton once again, but for now I indicate the following and urge others to present the case for these exhibits in particular:

• Heart of Africa - Wetland Aviary, mixed aviary for Lovebirds and others, mixed African vulture aviary, Milky Eagle-owl aviary
• Realm of the Red Ape - assorted aviaries
• Dragons in Danger - assorted aviaries
• European Aviary
• Pheasant and Owl Aviaries

There are other stand-alone aviaries which also merit discussion, but I think the above are of greatest priority.

Moreover, I request that someone *also* take up the baton where discussing the strong (past and present) track record at Chester with regards to involvement in the conservation and captive breeding of endangered birds - particularly parrots, laughingthrushes and pheasants. For now, I will note that Chester manages a total of nine bird studbooks, including Javan Green Magpie - a species whose presence in European collections is entirely the result of imports (and captive breeding efforts) spearheaded by Chester in 2015

Anyone fancy doing this?

Given the fact we have a pretty good number of people participating in the vote I am somewhat surprised no one has taken up my request for further Chester information, and also somewhat surprised no one has posted any feedback or rebuttals relating to the information I have already posted.

 

[TeaLovingDave]

Well, might as well get the other bits dealt with so that they are on the table for discussion and debate for a reasonable length of time before the match ends.....

Heart of Africa

African Wetland Aviary - contains Baer's Pochard, Cape Teal, East African Grey-Crowned Crane, Purple Swamphen, Red-billed Teal, Ruddy Shelduck, White-backed Duck, White-faced Whistling Duck, White-headed Duck and Greater Flamingo. This aviary is massive, at around 4,600 m², and other than the fact that it is still so new that the vegetation has yet to fully grow-in (although it has developed a lot since the photographs below were taken in early April) it is excellent and - in my opinion - surpasses any similar exhibit at Tierpark Berlin by far.

Mixed aviary for Black-cheeked Lovebirds, Common Waxbills, and Yellow-crowned Bishops

African Vulture Aviary - this large mixed aviary contains White-backed Vulture, White-headed Vulture and Hooded Vulture; although nowhere near as showy-looking or jam-packed with species as the similar aviary at Tierpark Berlin which has already been discussed, it is almost twice as large at a total of 2,400m² as opposed to 1,300 m².

Milky Eagle-owl aviary

Realm of the Red Ape

A large and densely-vegetated aviary for Blue-crowned Hanging Parrot

...and a similar aviary for Red avadavat, White-headed munia and Tricolored parrotfinch.

Dragons In Danger

This house contains several large and densely-vegetated aviaries containing a wide range of species from south-east Asia, including (but not limited to) the following:

• Black-naped Fruit-dove
• Mindanao Lorikeet
• Mindanao Bleeding-heart
• Yellow-faced Myna
• Malayan Peacock Pheasant
• Cinnamon Ground Dove
• Grey-capped Emerald Dove
• Great Argus
• Luzon Bleeding-heart
• Victoria Crowned Pigeon
• Malay Crestless Fireback
• Chestnut-backed Ground Thrush
• Pink-headed Fruit Dove

Edge of Europe

This large aviary was converted to hold a wide range of European native bird species several years ago after the old Europe on the Edge aviary was demolished to make way for the Madagascar exhibit complex, and is another excellent example of the high standard of the bird exhibitry at Chester. At the present time, I believe it currently holds the following species:

• Eurasian black vulture
• Ferruginous duck
• Azure-winged Magpie
• Garganey
• Marbled teal
• Waldrapp
• Red-breasted goose
• Red-crested pochard
• Tufted duck
• White-headed duck

Pheasant and Owl Aviary Block

This name is currently something of a misnomer, as it now holds only one owl species (Brown Wood Owl) and also holds a wide variety of Asian passerine species:

https://www.zoochat.com/community/media/aviaries-221022.619060/full

Miscellaneous other aviaries of note

There are, naturally, far more assorted aviaries dotted around the zoo than I can readily cite - however here are a few more selected examples:

"Rainbow Aviaries" - a block of five aviaries for south-east Asian pheasants and laughingthrushes, of which the below for Cabots Tragopan and Spotted Laughingthrush is representative:

Great Green Macaw

Mixed aviary next to Elephant House - this holds Spotted Laughingthrush, Collared Grosbeak, Silver-eared Mesia and Satyr Trogopan

----

I will now briefly return to the subject of conservation - Chester Zoo is *far* more involved in the in-situ and ex-situ conservation and captive breeding of endangered birds than is the case for Tierpark Berlin, with the following EEP/ESB programmes currently managed by the zoo:

• Black Crowned Crane
• Blue-throated Macaw
• Wrinkled Hornbill
• Sumatran Laughingthrush
• Rufous-fronted Laughingthrush
• Silver-eared Mesia
• Javan Green Magpie
• Grosbeak Starling
• Java Sparrow

Moreover, the zoo keeps (and in most cases breeds) a total of 58 bird species subject to an EAZA ex-situ programme, more than a third of all bird species within such a programme. However, possibly one of the biggest achievements by Chester Zoo in this regard is the fact that (as I mentioned previously) it is responsible for establishing an ex-situ breeding programme for Javan Green Magpie, with every individual currently present within a European collection descended from 6,6 founders imported by the zoo in 2015 from a breeding centre in Indonesia. Although the ex-situ population is experiencing slow growth as a result of high infant mortality rates, it *is* growing - and this is precisely the sort of flagship programme focusing on the import and captive-breeding of a critically-endangered (and possibly extinct in the wild) species which more zoological collections should embrace, in my opinion.

Conversely, Tierpark Berlin is responsible for zero EEP/ESB programmes relating to bird species, and although it keeps a similar number of programme species to Chester it breeds far, far fewer of them.

-----

Taking the above exhibits into account alongside those I discussed yesterday, alongside my remarks relating to conservation, I would contend that I have demonstrated fairly well that - although the aviaries and species collection at Tierpark Berlin are indeed very good overall - Chester Zoo beats the German collection on every level barring raw species numbers, with:

• A higher overall standard of exhibitry.
• Larger and more diverse aviaries overall.
• Not one but two world-class tropical free-flight houses in Tropical Realm and Monsoon Forest.
• Several excellent outdoor walkthrough aviaries.
• A strong and proven track record of bird conservation.

In short, Tierpark Berlin has nothing that equals the best that Chester can offer - and the best that Tierpark Berlin can offer in this category (the mixed vulture aviary) is surpassed in size and scale by a directly-equivalent exhibit at Chester.

As such, I strongly urge those who are veering towards Tierpark Berlin to reconsider their stance and change their vote to a pro-Chester stance - or indeed present arguments and rebuttals to the information I have posted above given the fact that they have been active throughout the Cup and have presented a lot of interesting arguments throughout various matches, I would be particularly interested to hear the thoughts of @Kalaw , @snowleopard , @pipaluk , @Père Damian's Deer , @Haasje and @amur leopard!

 

[Kalaw]

As such, I strongly urge those who are veering towards Tierpark Berlin to reconsider their stance and change their vote to a pro-Chester stance - or indeed present arguments and rebuttals to the information I have posted above given the fact that they have been active throughout the Cup and have presented a lot of interesting arguments throughout various matches, I would be particularly interested to hear the thoughts of @Kalaw , @snowleopard , @pipaluk , @Père Damian's Deer , @Haasje and @amur leopard!

I am speaking on very little personal experience here. I've visited Chester once amid an avian infleunza outbreak that had all walkthrough aviaries and both tropical houses closed down. I've never been to Tierpark Berlin. But speaking personally and judging solely from images, the German collection appeals a lot more to me here. Pelecaniformes such as herons have always been a soft spot for myself and the Tierpark has some excellent collection in that department which includes such rarities as both Indian and Javan Pond-heron, White-faced Heron, one of my favourite species in the Rufous Night-heron, Straw-necked Ibis, and Spot-billed and Brown Pelicans. Moving away from that order, there are Barred Eagle-owls, White-browed Laughingthrushes and of course Harpy Eagles! Chester does have some amomalies and noteworthy species in its bird collection, but there is very little that I haven't seen elsewhere.

I love the look of the domed aviaries, the Heron Pavilion, the Pheasantry and surrounding gardens, and of course the huge vulture aviary. I'm sure there is an element of novelty bias with them being German (foreign zoos for me are inherently more exciting than British ones just because I'm abroad while visiting them), but personally all the smaller aviaries at Chester (for owls, songbirds etc.) came across as a little generic. I've seen similar but better exhibits both domestically and overseas. I did love the African Wetlands Aviary and the Black Vulture aviary, but the latter is of course inarguably surpassed by the raptor aviary in Germany. I think this disproves your point that everything at the Tierpark is surpassed by something equivalent at Chester, as does the fact that there isn't really any equivalent to the Heron Pavilion, nor does the English zoo really have any seabirds from memory.

In an earlier thread, I said that for polls where I haven't visited either collection (I will personally be treating this as such because most of Chester's best bird offerings were closed on my visit), I will vote by asking myself the question of which one would I rather visit for the category in question. And that is clearly Tierpark Berlin here. The gorgeous domed aviaries, possibly the greatest bird of prey aviary in Europe, and a remarkable collection of possibly my favourite avian order make me want to travel to Berlin solely for that, whereas with the aviaries now reopened there is nothing in them or the tropical houses that makes me want to return to Chester particularly. Except the Tuatara in the reopened Tropical Realm, who of course aren't exactly birds. I understand that my reasons for voting for the Tierpark are very personal and subjective relating to what orders of birds and architecture types I prefer, but what fun are such competitions as this if everyone votes the same way.

That said, I do find it hard to argue with the fact that, objectively speaking, the free-flight halls in Tropical Realm and Monsoon Forest are excellent for the birds. I also love the huge hornbill aviaries and from memory Chester may have the fewest pinioned birds of any zoo I have been to of its size (a few cranes, I think that's it). Definitely one to consider further, but still leaning narrowly towards the Tierpark at the moment awaiting further discussion.

 

[pipaluk]

I am still pretty much undecided on this one, it is very close for me.
On total species it is 160+ for TPB to 140+ for Chester so not a significant difference really and both zoos are very strong.

I looked a bit further on ZTL and found the following stats for separate orders:

Birds of Prey 20-4 in favour of TPB
Owls 14-2 in favour of TPB
Passerines 42-23 in favour of Chester.

I don't have the time to break down every grouping but I guess individual interest may make a difference to the way some vote.

I think overall Chester have the better exhibits which in a close match on species should probably tip the balance their way, but if you want to see Birds of Prey or Owls Tierpark Berlin is the place to go.

I am changing my vote to Chester for now

 

[Lafone]

Hopefully someone else will come along to provide further and more in-depth information relating to Chester, but to get the ball rolling here are some of the particular highlights where larger-scale category-relevant exhibits are concerned:

Tropical Realm

Although nowhere near the same scale as exhibits such as Masoala or the Bush, I believe that the Tropical Realm house at Chester is one of the very best free-flight exhibits in a European collection - although the house is now somewhat time-worn, dating as it does to the 1960s, this also means that the vegetation within is fully-mature and has developed over many years, and a wide variety of bird species are present within the main body of the house. It is quite possible - and very enjoyable - to sit in the house for a prolonged period using binoculars to spot as many species as possible, From memory, the following are currently present as free-flying species - although I am almost certainly omitting some, and may be incorrectly including one or two which are no longer present:

• Blue-throated Piping-guan
• Brazilian Tanager
• Pekin Robin
• Asian Fairy Bluebird
• Orange-headed thrush
• Java Sparrow
• Madagascar Red Fody
• Mindanao Bleeding-heart
• Luzon Bleeding-heart
• Sunbittern
• Grey-capped Emerald Dove
• Nicobar Pigeon
• White-naped Pheasant Pigeon
• Victoria Crowned Pigeon
• Blue-crowned Laughingthrush
• Schalow's Turaco
• Great Argus Pheasant
• Blue-naped Mousebird

Within the house there are several large aviaries for hornbills and other larger bird species:

The upper levels of the house have been closed to the public since the onset of COVID lockdowns, but the aviaries are still in use and visible from afar, containing a variety of smaller passerines.

Monsoon Forest

The fact that Chester has not one but *two* large tropical houses serving as free-flight aviaries is one of the particular strengths of the collection where this category is concerned - although I have a lot more fondness for Tropical Realm, the newer house is nonetheless also one of the best of its kind in Europe and again provides a lot of scope for prolonged birdwatching on multiple levels in order to spot the inhabitants.

I don't have an up-to-date list for the species present within the house, but many of the Indonesian species listed for Tropical Realm are also present here. Species which are definitely present and *only* found within Monsoon Forest include Grosbeak Starling, Black-browed Barbet, Black-naped Oriole and Pink-necked Green Pigeon.

The house also contains a pair of large aviaries - one indoor and one outdoor - for Javan Rhinoceros Hornbill:

Songbird Walkthrough Aviaries

The Islands exhibit complex contains a pair of smaller outdoor walkthrough aviaries for Indonesian songbird species; one is themed around the concept of a "Bali Temple" whilst the other is a more traditional walkthrough aviary. The former contains the following species from memory:

• Bali Myna
• Red Junglefowl
• Pied Imperial Pigeon
• Java Sparrow

whilst the latter contains:

• Oriental Magpie Robin
• Grey-capped Emerald Dove
• Asian Glossy Starling
• Silver-eared Mesia
• Salvadori's Pheasant
• Bronze-tailed Peacock-pheasant
• White-rumped Shama.

Both of these have associated enclosed aviaries - hopefully someone can confirm the exact species selection within these.

Tsavo Aviary

However, the Tsavo Aviary within the new Heart of Africa complex - which predates the complex by almost 20 years and has merely been given a cosmetic touch-up to help it to blend in with the newer exhibit areas - is even better than the above-discussed songbird aviaries. In my opinion this is one of the best walkthrough aviaries in the UK, if not Europe, and one of my favourite zoo exhibits full stop:

Per a comment on the second photograph above, the exhibit currently contains the following species:

• Bruce's Green Pigeon
• Purple Glossy Starling
• Lilac-breasted Roller
• Blacksmith Plover
• Hamerkop
• Maccoa Duck
• Red-winged Starling
• Hottentot Teal
• Village Weaver

Latin American Wetland Walkthrough

A very large and attractive walkthrough aviary for a wide range of species, including:

• Puna ibis
• Caribbean Flamingo
• Orinoco Goose
• Black-winged Whistling Duck
• Puna Teal
• Muscovy Duck
• Black-necked Stilt
• Argentine Lake Duck
• Scarlet Ibis

----

There are numerous other relevant exhibits at Chester which require discussion and which I believe serve as strong evidence of the many strengths of Chester in this regard; however, photo upload limits, time, and my desire to - where possible - allow other people to take the lead in discussions preclude me from going into detail now.

Naturally, if no one else bothers I will pick up the baton once again, but for now I indicate the following and urge others to present the case for these exhibits in particular:

• Heart of Africa - Wetland Aviary, mixed aviary for Lovebirds and others, mixed African vulture aviary, Milky Eagle-owl aviary
• Realm of the Red Ape - assorted aviaries
• Dragons in Danger - assorted aviaries
• European Aviary
• Pheasant and Owl Aviaries

There are other stand-alone aviaries which also merit discussion, but I think the above are of greatest priority.

Moreover, I request that someone *also* take up the baton where discussing the strong (past and present) track record at Chester with regards to involvement in the conservation and captive breeding of endangered birds - particularly parrots, laughingthrushes and pheasants. For now, I will note that Chester manages a total of nine bird studbooks, including Javan Green Magpie - a species whose presence in European collections is entirely the result of imports (and captive breeding efforts) spearheaded by Chester in 2015



Significantly fewer now, in significantly patchier numbers and in significantly more dilapidated aviaries, sadly - there was a definite downturn from 2014 to 2018, and then again from 2018 to my most recent visit in 2025.



Offhand I believe it is currently sitting at seven species in total - it is definitely the best category-related exhibit at the Tierpark, even if it is somewhat smaller than it used to be prior to the ABH renovation.

A really good summary in both your posts and there are lots of quality aviaries at Chester. A delight for any bird fan and so time consuming I find it means I miss a lot of the rest of the zoo!

In the Tropical Realm aviary there are also some Emerald Starlings which were a first for me when I saw them there.


In terms of other bird highlights from a conservation perspective, Forsten’s Lorikeets are in one of the aviaries in the larger island walkthrough (they are enclosed but you can get right next to their fence and see them well, as I found in the picture below) and they have had good breeding success

New hope for incredibly rare parrots | Chester Zoo



There are also Lord Derby's Parakeets featured in the snow leopard area, tucked away in their own aviary.

Breeding success is evident across the aviary estate; on my most recent visit there were youngsters for the Java Sparrows and Black Stilts and juveniles for the Flamingos and Ibis. On a previous visit there was a whole aviary of Sumatran Thrushes adults and juveniles, which was lovely to see. The group of Lilac Breasted Rollers in the revamped Tsavo aviary have also bred.

I take the point that some of the birds in Chester's collection can be seen elsewhere, but equally Chester exhibits them in a wonderful way and often has groups of them on view and breeding, which is not always that common in many zoos, particularly in terms of the broad scope of the collection. As mentioned in other rounds, I am not perhaps as into a rare zoo animal or a one off as some other people, but Chester has both rarities and other birds exhibited equally well.

I'd also highlight the excellent viewing in many of the aviaries. In the free flight aviary near the bridge opposite the Onagers (Edge of Europe perhaps, I can't quite tell from the photo and don't know the names well I am afraid) you can watch the Waldrapp Ibis and Azure magpies flying around at eye level from the bridge and then go and enjoy an ice cream on a bench and watch them again, feeding near the pond, along with the ducks. I enjoy thoughtful angles and different ways to experience the birds and I think Chester does that really well in this and a number of the other spaces. That's just one example of how you can spend many hours gazing at the bird collection at Chester and being able to walk around many of the spaces with a whole array of unusual birds flying around you is simply a wonderful experience.

Tierpark Berlin's aviaries look fantastic too of course and this is a heavyweight contest again. I'd like to revisit Berlin to appreciate the collection there, it is on my list for sure. However, on the basis both have much to offer and it is a close run thing, the sheer variety of delightful things at Chester secured my 3/2 vote.

 

[Haasje]

In comparing these two strong zoos, when it comes to birds, I firmly believe Berlin Tierpark emerges as the clear winner. I must admit i know the Tierpark better and do have a soft spot for its more brutalist DDR architecture that still graces the landscape. Moreover, Berlin's collection is notably vast, boasting many rarities, such as the magnificent harpy eagle and Western great bustard. While others might have more precise knowledge of current rarities in both parks, what draws me most to Berlin is its exceptional aviaries. These are not only well-designed but also architecturally often striking, like the various dome structures and the stunning Aviary Pavilion. Naturalistic habitats, such as the penguin enclosures, are also standout features, setting a benchmark for many gardens.

Chester Zoo's aviaries are indeed beautifully planned and structured, but perhaps somewhat conventional in design, lacking the design flair that Berlin exemplifies. Where Berlin truly excels is in its expansive and richly populated vulture and raptor aviary, unmatched in Europe from my experience. Prague's offerings are impressive too, yet Berlin stands head and shoulders above, allowing birds to fly freely in a spectacular setting.

Furthermore, the tropical walkthrough aviary in the Alfred-Brehm-Haus central hall, recently renovated, vividly showcases historical architecture amidst a tropical rainforest teeming with birds. Lastly, the pelicans in front of Schloss Friedrichsfelde deserves mention.

In summary, while Chester Zoo is strong in bird, my vote unequivocally goes to Berlin Tierpark as the superior contender."

 

[Lafone]

In comparing these two strong zoos, when it comes to birds, I firmly believe Berlin Tierpark emerges as the clear winner. I must admit i know the Tierpark better and do have a soft spot for its more brutalist DDR architecture that still graces the landscape. Moreover, Berlin's collection is notably vast, boasting many rarities, such as the magnificent harpy eagle and Western great bustard. While others might have more precise knowledge of current rarities in both parks, what draws me most to Berlin is its exceptional aviaries. These are not only well-designed but also architecturally often striking, like the various dome structures and the stunning Aviary Pavilion. Naturalistic habitats, such as the penguin enclosures, are also standout features, setting a benchmark for many gardens.

Chester Zoo's aviaries are indeed beautifully planned and structured, but perhaps somewhat conventional in design, lacking the design flair that Berlin exemplifies. Where Berlin truly excels is in its expansive and richly populated vulture and raptor aviary, unmatched in Europe from my experience. Prague's offerings are impressive too, yet Berlin stands head and shoulders above, allowing birds to fly freely in a spectacular setting.

Furthermore, the tropical walkthrough aviary in the Alfred-Brehm-Haus central hall, recently renovated, vividly showcases historical architecture amidst a tropical rainforest teeming with birds. Lastly, the pelicans in front of Schloss Friedrichsfelde deserves mention.

In summary, while Chester Zoo is strong in bird, my vote unequivocally goes to Berlin Tierpark as the superior contender."

I think it is unarguable that the raptors at Berlin are well catered for however I would argue against the idea that Chester has a conventional design using one of it's more modern exhibits, the Monsoon forest. As well as the photos above it's worth noting that Monsoon Forest extends on several floors, served by winding paths (that are rarely crowded out, which for a busy zoo is a good example of crowd management and bringing a place to life).

Credit @gulogulogulo

Birds can be observed from ground level all the way to the top of the exhibit from the different levels and the design of the roof means the light is consistent throughout without being too shady or too glary. It's easy to think it is simple but the aviary benefits from time spent there, searching for the nests among the canopy and going beyond seeing birds at the feeders. I would suggest in design terms it is on a par with the interesting and well designed houses at Berlin and would argue against the suggestion Chester is conventional cages and Berlin more thoughtful.

@gulogulogulo again

Numerous lookout points give both information and different viewing angles

@gulogulogulo

The older Tropical Realm benefits from the same thoughtful choices and although you cannot currently go up to the next height you get light, viewing and different angles which move from the conventional to the well delivered exhibit (in my view of course!).

This photo by @jde7582 also shows an impressive and well designed vista

It's also worth noting that this exhibit features birds along with other animals, arguably bringing the birds to an audience who might stroll past heading for the fluffy, with reptiles and primates bringing the area to life and setting the birds in their context. That's not an example of conventional, compared to many other zoos, for me. While this category is about birds I think zoos making the effort to educate and bring birds to an audience which is not spending all it's dwell time with our feathered friends, is effort to be commended. Chester also features and labels the plants, informing the viewer what the birds like and don't and showcasing what is far more than just a giant greenhouse.

Equally the aviaries in Islands are also set in the context of the region with other animals around and though I know people have posted here that you still think you are in Northern England, when the sun is out and the light breeze drifts through an aviary full of singing Java sparrows I think you can find yourself transported, without it being a theme park.

 

[TeaLovingDave]

I did love the African Wetlands Aviary and the Black Vulture aviary, but the latter is of course inarguably surpassed by the raptor aviary in Germany. I think this disproves your point that everything at the Tierpark is surpassed by something equivalent at Chester, as does the fact that there isn't really any equivalent to the Heron Pavilion, nor does the English zoo really have any seabirds from memory.

You have slightly misread my post there I said that "the best that Tierpark Berlin can offer in this category (the mixed vulture aviary) is surpassed in size and scale by a directly-equivalent exhibit at Chester" and was therefore discussing a specific exhibit, rather than claiming that everything at the Tierpark has a direct equivalent at Chester. I suspect the confusion is due to the fact that the above statement was immediately-preceded by my contention that "Tierpark Berlin has nothing that equals the best that Chester can offer" - leading you to conflate the two points!

Chester Zoo's aviaries are indeed beautifully planned and structured, but perhaps somewhat conventional in design, lacking the design flair that Berlin exemplifies.

I love Tierpark Berlin as much as the next Zoochatter - perhaps more, given the fact it is literally my favourite zoo in the world even if I don't count it as the best zoo I have visited - and share your soft spot for the brutalist DDR architecture evident in their exhibits..... but row upon row of blocky, green-mesh cages (as the vast majority of aviaries within the Tierpark tend to be) are no less "conventional" than anything at Chester

As for your claim that the Tierpark vulture aviary is "unmatched in Europe [and] stands head and shoulders above" - as I have already established, the vulture aviary at Chester is nearly twice the size and is very attractively designed. Moreover, the zoo contains numerous *other* exhibits which allow the inhabitants a massive amount of space to "fly freely in a spectacular setting", including Monsoon Forest and Tropical Realm - two exhibits certainly which the Tierpark has no answer to.

Furthermore, the tropical walkthrough aviary in the Alfred-Brehm-Haus central hall, recently renovated, vividly showcases historical architecture amidst a tropical rainforest teeming with birds.

It's a great exhibit for the non-avian inhabitants, I will certainly acknowledge this, and I love the fact that a historically-important structure has been preserved in a careful and attractive fashion - but it is nowhere near as large, nowhere near as densely-vegetated, and pivotally nowhere near as many free-flying birds either in number of species or number of individuals.

 

[Kalaw]

You have slightly misread my post there I said that "the best that Tierpark Berlin can offer in this category (the mixed vulture aviary) is surpassed in size and scale by a directly-equivalent exhibit at Chester" and was therefore discussing a specific exhibit, rather than claiming that everything at the Tierpark has a direct equivalent at Chester.

(...)

As for your claim that the Tierpark vulture aviary is "unmatched in Europe [and] stands head and shoulders above" - as I have already established, the vulture aviary at Chester is nearly twice the size and is very attractively designed.

Chester's Black Vulture aviary is bigger than, never mind twice the size of, the Tierpark's Geier Voliere?! I adored the aviary on my visit (certainly can't dispute your claim that it is 'very attractively designed,' as at the time it was the largest that I had seen for birds of prey, but judging the Tierpark aviary from images, I have guessed that if either of the two was twice the size of the other, it was the German one! I'm assuming this is in terms of volume rather than area, or I am severely miscalculating, because having measured both on Google Maps, I got an area of 1,030 sqm for Chester's and 1,280 sqm for the Tierpark's, though not having seen the latter in person this could be way off the mark. By the by, do you happen to know how Prague's Great Aviary relates to them in terms of area / volume.

I must say, given that the supposed excellence of the Geier Voliere from photos and the remarks of others, I came to the conclusion that it surpassed any independent aviary (i.e. not a walkthrough in the main hall of a tropical house), and that was a big part of my logic in voting in favour of the Tierpark. If I am overestimating its size (or underestimating the size of Chester's), then that is definitely tempting me to switch my vote in favour of the English collection...

Am I also right in saying that the trajectory of the Tierpark's bird collection isn't exactly very good. I know Anthony Sheridan's work is (understandbly) controversial on here, but he seems to be fairly reliable on species numbers, and per his guide, Tierpark Berlin had 1,811 birds of no less than 316 species in 2015! How have they gone from that to 160 in ten years? The closure of a bird-devoted exhibit, or an avian influenza outbreak, or something else? Are there numerous empty aviaries at the zoo as a result of this decline?

 

[TeaLovingDave]

Chester's Black Vulture aviary is bigger than, never mind twice the size of, the Tierpark's Geier Voliere?! I adored the aviary on my visit (certainly can't dispute your claim that it is 'very attractively designed,' as at the time it was the largest that I had seen for birds of prey, but judging the Tierpark aviary from images, I have guessed that if either of the two was twice the size of the other, it was the German one!

No, I am talking about the new mixed aviary for various African vulture species which is located within Heart of Africa you will note that I've been uniformly referring to the aviary containing black vulture by its official name of "Edge of Europe" to avoid precisely that confusion!

I'll quote the information I posted about the aviary in question below for you:

African Vulture Aviary - this large mixed aviary contains White-backed Vulture, White-headed Vulture and Hooded Vulture; although nowhere near as showy-looking or jam-packed with species as the similar aviary at Tierpark Berlin which has already been discussed, it is almost twice as large at a total of 2,400m² as opposed to 1,300 m².

The Prague aviary you mentioned is around 1,100 m² judging from Google Maps - so marginally smaller than the Tierpark aviary, although I suspect it may be taller.

As regards this.....

Am I also right in saying that the trajectory of the Tierpark's bird collection isn't exactly very good. I know Anthony Sheridan's work is (understandbly) controversial on here, but he seems to be fairly reliable on species numbers, and per his guide, Tierpark Berlin had 1,811 birds of no less than 316 species in 2015! How have they gone from that to 160 in ten years? The closure of a bird-devoted exhibit, or an avian influenza outbreak, or something else? Are there numerous empty aviaries at the zoo as a result of this decline?

The main reason for the decline is threefold - as I previously discussed, the various exhibits in the Tierpark pheasantry are now a bit dilapidated and run-down (doubtless due to the overall neglect and winding-down which that corner of the zoo has received under the new director) and most species remaining are singleton individuals, the vast majority of waterfowl species have been lost by an increase in fox and marten predation, and as you note avian influenza has had an impact too.

 

[Kalaw]

No, I am talking about the new mixed aviary for various African vulture species which is located within Heart of Africa you will note that I've been uniformly referring to the aviary containing black vulture by its official name of "Edge of Europe" to avoid precisely that confusion!

I'll quote the information I posted about the aviary in question below for you:



The Prague aviary you mentioned is around 1,100 m² judging from Google Maps - so marginally smaller than the Tierpark aviary, although I suspect it may be taller.

As regards this.....



The main reason for the decline is threefold - as I previously discussed, the various exhibits in the Tierpark pheasantry are now a bit dilapidated and run-down (doubtless due to the overall neglect and winding-down which that corner of the zoo has received under the new director) and most species remaining are singleton individuals, the vast majority of waterfowl species have been lost by an increase in fox and marten predation, and as you note avian influenza has had an impact too.

I really had no idea the new aviary was quite so large! I liked the look of it in photos, and I believed I commented somewhere in the gallery about how impressive it is that Chester now has two excellent vulture aviaries where most zoos struggle to accommodate birds of prey appropriately to any degree, but did not anticipate it to be that big from images. Proof that photos do really struggle to convey scale. I'm also surprised that I haven't seen it discussed more on this forum with it being so new and so big.

I wonder if this would also make the new African vulture aviary the largest *devoted* bird of prey aviary in Europe? Of course there are bigger aviaries with birds of prey in them (Burgers' Desert or Beauval's Hippo Aviary) but none of those are solely built with raptors in mind.

I think this revelation, coupled with your interesting (but unfortunate) remarks on the negative trajectory of the Tierpark's bird collection due to mismanagement, will make me switch to 3-2 Chester, as much as I don't want to. I've never really thought of birds as one of Chester's strengths, but after reading through your overview I've began to appreciate that it probably is. They are a deserving winner here.