Bird Paradise

Bird Paradise
1°24′25″N 103°46′52″E / 1.406997°N 103.781227°E / 1.406997; 103.781227
Date opened	8 May 2023 (soft opening) 15 November 2023 (grand opening)
Location	Mandai, Singapore 20 Mandai Lake Road, Singapore 729825
Land area	17 ha (42 acres)
No. of animals	3,500
No. of species	400
Public transit access	138[a] 927[b]
Website	www.mandai.com/en/bird-paradise.html

Bird Paradise is an aviary located in Mandai, Singapore. Opened on 8 May 2023, it replaced the Jurong Bird Park and forms a part of the Mandai Wildlife Reserve, consisting of the Singapore Zoo, Night Safari, River Wonders and the upcoming Rainforest Wild Park. Bird Paradise covers approximately 17 hectares (42 acres), with larger and double the walk-in aviaries than the previous Jurong Bird Park.^[1] The aviary was designed by Singaporean architectural firm, RSP Architects Planners & Engineers.^[2][3]

In 2016, the Mandai Wildlife Group announced that Jurong Bird Park would be closed and the entire collection would be relocated to a different, similarly sized park at Mandai Lake Road by 2020. This would result in the consolidation of the three existing Singapore wildlife parks with the new Rainforest Wild Park, and form a fully-integrated nature and wildlife district, collectively referred to as the Mandai Wildlife Reserve.^[4]

In 2021, the group announced that the park's successor in Mandai would be named Bird Paradise.^[5] It was also announced that the park's grand opening would be slightly delayed due to challenging construction site conditions, and the ongoing impact of the tapering COVID-19 pandemic.^[6]

In 2022, it was announced that Jurong Bird Park would be closed on 3 January 2023, in an effort to accelerate the relocation to Bird Paradise, Mandai.^[7]

Bird Paradise officially opened to the general public on 8 May 2023, with ticket pre-sales commencing on 24 April 2023.^[8]

Penguin Cove is one of the world's largest simulated Antarctic exhibits. Featuring cold saltwater pools for king, gentoo, humboldt and northern rockhopper penguins, the exhibit simulates conditions near the South Pole. The building consists of two levels, one for observing the birds whilst swimming (via underwater viewing galleries), and another above the water level simulating a windswept, cold beach for the birds to roost and nest on. The exhibit utilises specially-timed lighting systems for the birds' well-being, intending to replicate the 24-hour summer daylight of the poles, or, depending on the time of year, the 24-hours of darkness (polar winter). This exhibit has earned the Platinum BCA Green Mark Award for green innovation.

The Winged Sanctuary houses the park's collection of over 20 species of hornbills and other endangered tropical birds, such as the Bali myna, the Palawan peacock-pheasant and the Philippine eagle (also known as the monkey-eating eagle). The area consists of tall and densely-planted steel-mesh screen aviaries. Species include:

• Abyssinian ground-hornbill

• African grey hornbill

• African pygmy falcon

• Bali myna

• Bare-faced curassow

• Black hornbill

• Burrowing owl

• Chestnut-eared araçari

• Crowned hornbill

• Eastern crested guineafowl

• Great pied hornbill

• Guianan cock-of-the-rock

• King bird-of-paradise

• Knobbed hornbill

• Lesser bird-of-paradise

• Luzon hornbill

• Malayan crested fireback

• Malayan peacock-pheasant

• Mountain peacock-pheasant

• Oriental pied hornbill

• Palawan peacock-pheasant

• Papuan Blyth's hornbill

• Philippine eagle

• Piping hornbill

• Raggiana bird-of-paradise

• Red-billed toucan

• Rhinoceros hornbilll

• Silvery-cheeked hornbill

• Southern ground-hornbill

• Sulawesi hornbill

• Trumpeter hornbill

• Twelve-wired bird-of-paradise

• Vietnamese pheasant

• Vulturine guineafowl

• White-crowned hornbill

• Wreathed hornbill

• Wrinkled hornbill^[9]

This aviary mimics the semi-arid environment of the Australian outback, as well as semi-tropical portions of Papua New Guinea and Northeastern Australia. The landscaping consists primarily of eucalyptus and ficus trees, termite mounds and Aboriginal cave paintings. In addition to the many birds, visitors may observe Bennett's (or red-necked) wallabies here. Species of interest are:

• Australian king parrot

• Australian ringneck

• Bluebonnet

• Cockatiel

• Crimson rosella

• Eastern rosella

• Emu

• Galah cockatoo

• Golden-shouldered parrot

• Laughing kookaburra

• Major Mitchell's cockatoo

• Pale-headed rosella

• Papuan eclectus parrot

• Princess parrot

• Rainbow lorikeet

• Red-capped parrot

• Red-necked wallaby

• Red-rumped parrot

• Red-tailed black cockatoo

• Regent parrot

• Superb parrot

• Tawny frogmouth^[10]

This unique aviary replicates the coastal, tropical forests of Papua New Guinea, with some species from Northern Australia and other nearby islands. Within the aviary are buildings styled after the huts of the Papuan Korowai people, and viewing galleries inspired by Sepik houses. Species inside include:

• Black lory

• Blue-eyed cockatoo

• Blue-winged kookaburra

• Citron-crested cockatoo

• Green-naped pheasant-pigeon

• Metallic pigeon

• Nicobar pigeon

• Palm cockatoo

• Pied imperial pigeon

• Salmon-crested cockatoo

• Solomon corella

• Southern cassowary

• Tanimbar corella

• White cockatoo

• Yellow-crested cockatoo

• Yellow-streaked lory^[11]

This is a continuation of an aviary of the same name at the former Jurong Bird Park, housing many species of psittaciformes. Notably, there is a large breeding population of blue-eyed cockatoos, as well as:

• Black-capped lory

• Blue-eyed cockatoo

• Brown lory

• Chattering lory

• Coconut lorikeet

• Dusky lory

• Goldie's lorikeet

• Iris lorikeet

• Northern cassowary

• Pesquet's parrot

• Purple-bellied lory

• Purple-naped lory

• Red-collared lorikeet

• Red lory

• Yellow-bibbed lory^[12]

Amazonian Jewels is a lushly-planted aviary replicating the rainforests of Central and South America and the Caribbean, featuring species such as the cock-of-the-rock, cracids, curassows, macaws, toucans, quetzal and oropendolas. There is also a viewing area resembling a large tree stump, as well as numerous New World aroids and bromeliads planted throughout. Species of interest are:

• Andean cock-of-the-rock

• Bare-faced curassow

• Blue-headed macaw

• Blue-winged macaw

• Golden-collared macaw

• Golden-headed quetzal

• Green jay

• Green oropendola

• Helmeted curassow

• Military macaw

• Moriche oriole

• Montserrat oriole

• Red-shouldered macaw

• Saffron toucanet

• Toco toucan

• Yellow oriole^[13]

Songs of the Forest features vulnerable, threatened and endangered songbirds (among other species) of Southeast Asia, such as the straw-headed bulbul, Bali myna and the fairy bluebird.^[14] The exhibit shines a spotlight on the global black market trade of endangered birds, an issue which requires urgent attention. Species of interest are:

• Asian fairy-bluebird

• Bali myna

• Barred cuckoo-dove

• Black-winged myna

• Brahminy starling

• Coleto

• Crested partridge

• Golden-crested myna

• Green junglefowl

• Grosbeak starling

• Iberian magpie

• Javan pied starling

• Luzon bleeding-heart

• Mikado pheasant

• Mountain bamboo partridge

• Red-vented bulbul

• Red-whiskered bulbul

• Red-winged laughingthrush

• Rosy starling

• Sri Lankan junglefowl

• Straw-headed bulbul

• White-throated laughingthrush

• White-necklaced partridge^[15]

Crimson Wetlands recreates the wetland habitats of South America and the Caribbean. Its main attraction is a very large pool with a plunging waterfall, overlooking a lake for the park's flock of American flamingoes, along with typical New World waterbirds such as the roseate spoonbill and scarlet ibis (the national bird of Trinidad and Tobago), as well as turtles of South America. There is a simulated clay wall where various parrots gather to nest and extract nutrients by chewing the clay, as a form of mineral lick. Species include:

• American flamingo

• Blue-throated macaw

• Burrowing owl

• Chestnut-fronted macaw

• Great curassow

• Great green macaw

• Hyacinth macaw

• Patagonian mara

• Red-and-green macaw

• Red-fronted macaw

• Roseate spoonbill

• Scarlet ibis

• Scarlet macaw

• Southern screamer

• White ibis

• Yellow-spotted river turtle^[16]

This aviary replicates a Balinese or Indonesian landscape, with dense trees, bamboo and simulated rice terraces.^[17] There are elevated walkways where visitors can experience the aviary via two different levels. Species include:

• Blyth's hornbill

• Green peafowl

• Lesser adjutant stork

• Milky stork

• Oriental pied hornbill (rotated for keeper talks)

• Rufous hornbill (rotated for keeper talks)^[18]

Heart of Africa is the largest aviary at Bird Paradise.^[17] It was inspired by the dense Nyungwe Forest of Rwanda in East Africa. Similar to Wings of Asia, Heart of Africa has various suspension bridges and elevated walkways, enabling visitors to see birds at varied heights, from the forest floor to the treetops. Species of interest include:

• Black-casqued hornbill

• Congo pied hornbill

• Von der Decken's hornbill

• Western long-tailed hornbill

• Piping hornbill

• Trumpeter hornbill

• Northern Red-billed Hornbill

• Shoebill stork

• Greater flamingo

• Lesser flamingo

^[19]

Bird Paradise has two live shows, Predators on Wings and Wings of the World, both of which are presented periodically throughout each day at the park's Sky Amphitheatre.^[20]

Wings of the World features many ambassador animals that were part of previous shows at the Jurong location. Some notable birds include ‘Sunny’, a great pied hornbill and the mascot of Bird Paradise (along with several other Oriental pied hornbills), ‘Amigo’ the yellow-naped amazon parrot who sings in three languages, and a 50-year-old sulphur-crested cockatoo.^[21]

Predators on Wings displays the power and might of some of the world's birds of prey. Species to look out for include the American bald eagle, Harris' hawk, the turkey vulture, and the white-bellied sea eagle.^[22]

Like the adjacent Singapore Zoo, Night Safari and River Wonders parks, Bird Paradise is located west of the reserve and has its own bus stop. There are two bus services — 138 and 927. Service 138 connects to the nearest Springleaf MRT station, as well as Ang Mo Kio MRT station, while Service 927 connects to the Choa Chu Kang MRT/LRT station. Additionally, bus service 171 stops nearby the reserve, but doesn't pass through.

• Jurong Bird Park

• Official website