Aviary, landscape & pond designs for wildfowl

Designing a good aviary and landscape for wildfowl needs dedication. Not all aviary models are appropriate for all species, so it starts with a good plan. What birds will be kept in the aviary? And what is our goal of keeping the birds? Do we want to breed them efficiently, or do will we keep them mixed with other species for ornamental purpose? This pages futures only a few aviary and pond designs, taken at several places around the globe. It may give you just some ideas for landscaping your aviary. 

Aviary layout for wildfowl, at Aeres MBO Barneveld, vocational college for animal husbandry and healthcare.

Aviary layout for wildfowl, at Aeres MBO Barneveld, vocational college for animal husbandry and healthcare.

Aviary layout for wildfowl, at Aeres MBO Barneveld, vocational college for animal husbandry and healthcare.

An aviary for wildfowl and waders, including ibis and egrets. A pond in the front and perches in the back. (photo taken in Belgium)

This aviary is appropriate voor many kinds of wildfowl: the big pond makes it interesting to keep small groups of ducks. The green makes it possible to keep geese. Please note the Andean geese in the back, standing on the rocks and waterfall. The gravel along the ponds edge makes it easy to keep the edge clean, and prevents it of getting muddy. (photo taken in the Netherlands)

Most duck species, like the buffleheads and hottentot teals above, love to perch just above the water surface. Providing them (natural) branches gives them the opportunity they certainly will use. (photo taken in Germany)

Even when you keep big vegetarian species like swans, it is possible to keep their enviroment green. Ensure low density of birds and provide enough space. Note the nestboxes hidden in the vegetation, which makes it really comfortable for the birds to nest in these boxes. (photo taken in the Netherlands)

In a warm climate, it is important to provide enough shade and supply fresh water and movement, in order to prevent botulism will arise in the water. (Criadouro das Aves de Poços de Caldas, MG, Brazil)

Shrubs distributed throughout the arena, giving the birds an opportunity to be out each other's sight. (Criadouro das Aves de Poços de Caldas, MG, Brazil)

Providing a plentiful number of nextboxes gives the ducks to opportunity to choose their favorite spot to nest in, which is a good stimulus in the breeding season. (Criadouro das Aves de Poços de Caldas, MG, Brazil)

Except for the water itself, an island might be the most safe haven for wildfowl, preventing predators to catch some feathered preys. Especially if this exhibit is topped with netting. (Sylvan Heights Bird Park)

An covered aviary gives the opportunity to keep the birds fully-winged, and prevents certain predators for getting in. (Sylvan Heights Bird Park, Scotland Neck, NC, USA)

Covered rearing pens (left netting, right plastic cover) for ducks, at WWT Slimbridge Duckery (UK) 

This floating ring is used to provide food (floating pellets) on a central spot in the pond, preventing remainings at the pond's edges, which may attract rats. It also gives the keeper the opportunity to check the health of all birds at one place, as all birds will come to this one spot at feeding time. At WWT Slimbridge, UK.

Wading bird aviary at WWT Slimbridge, designed for pied avocets, black-winged stilts, redshank, ruff and garganey.

A large aviary at Parque das Aves in Foz do Iguaçu, Brazil. This is an Pantanal-themed aviary, including birds from the Pantanal wetlands (like seriemas, brazilian teal, scarlet ibis, roseate spoonbill and toco toucan).

Above: wading bird aviary at Barcelona Zoo, Spain, housing Eurasian spoonbills, hamerkop, snowy egret, roseate spoonbill and scarlet ibis. 

Above: an old fashion ibis aviary at Parc Zoologique De Clères, France, including scarlet ibis. 

Aviary for whistling heron, black crowned crane, scarlet ibis etc., at Fundação Zoo-Botânica de Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil.

Of of many aviaries at Criadouro das Aves, Poços de Caldas, Minas Gerais, Brazil, housing several species of ibis, thick-knees, spoonbills, pigeons and doves, tinamous and gamefowl.

A small aviary for keeping only small bird species such as softbills and quails. Choosing the right filtering system, you may even be able to keep a small species of ducks in this aviary. In this case, a pair of African pygmy geese is kept succesfully in clean and fresh water, filtered mechanically and naturally by helophytes (vegetation).