Festive Feasts for our Feathered Friends

Around Thanksgiving, folks tend to think a lot about family and food. For our aviculturists at Discovery Cove, feeding a crowd is a daily operation, as there are more than 250 exotic birds that call the park home. Guests who visit Discovery Cove have the opportunity to interact with the feathered residents by dishing out some of their favorite treats.

With birds from all over the world, you can imagine there might be a few picky eaters in the mix. In the aviary, most of the birds you’ll meet are omnivorous, feasting on fruit and insects, but about 20% are carnivorous and eat entirely different entrées.

The omnivorous birds in the aviary enjoy a colorful fruit mix filled with sweet potato, squash, melon, and bird grain - a special dietary supplement made just for birds. Blueberries are a favorite treat among the omnivores, as demonstrated by Priscilla, the Curl-Crested Aracari from South America. She’s also a big fan of bananas and strawberries.

Entrées vary among the meat-eating species at Discovery Cove. Protein-packed meals include fish, mice, and worms (sounds delicious, right?). Sky, the Racquet-tailed Roller from Africa, is a particular fan of meal worms. Rollers get their name from their acrobatic flight, often rolling over and somersaulting in midair during courtship and territorial disputes.

Hungry for more? We’ve got the perfect dessert for your Thanksgiving feast. You can save up to $110 on a Discovery Cove Gift Admission package during SeaWorld’s biggest sale of the year: Blue Friday. Become an email subscriber to learn more about all of the offers and get early access to the savings before this deal flies away.