There is something about birds that draws me to them. Bird watching is one of many favorite pastimes for both of us, but especially for me. So once we discovered that the Kuala Lumpur Bird Park was not only easily accessible but also the largest free-flight aviary in the world, we knew we had to go.

Kuala Lumpur Bird Park

Initially, we intended to make it one of the first attractions we went to while here, but due to various incidences, we kept putting it off for a different day. With only a few days left in KL though, we finally made our way to the park.

Getting To The Kuala Lumpur Bird Park

We woke up a little later than we intended, due to running into an older Australian couple that insisted on buying us beer the previous night. It was supposed to just be a quick trip to pick up some food and head back to our place but instead turned into hours of drinking and at one point a group ballad of American Pie. It is these little moments that make Kuala Lumpur all the more sweet to us – but it also meant we got to sleep much later than we intended.

Delaying us further, my phone was virtually dead and needed to charge. But, eventually, we got on our way in the early afternoon. We took an Uber into KL, which went smoothly for the most part, though our driver actually had to find an alternative route because of city road closures for Thaipusam.

Once we arrived, we bought our tickets for 50 RM each (~$25 together) from the counter, which is the priciest thing we’ve done here but we thought it would be worth it. And after experiencing the park, it is certainly worth it. You’re given wristbands, and then allowed entry into the park.

World’s Largest Free-Flight Aviary at Kuala Lumpur Bird Park

The Kuala Lumpur Bird Park is the world’s largest free-flight aviary. This means that the birds are free to fly around as they please within the (mostly) covered aviary. The birds are also able to breed as if they were in the wild, and they are given a very expansive, safe, and natural habitat to live in.

Over 3000 birds of 200 species live within the 20-acre park, but the stars of the park seem to be the dozens of Indian Peacocks. They’re loud, large, showy, and quite dazzling to see. We ran across one at the very beginning of our tour that decided to fan out its tail and show off for us.

We thought this might be a rare occurrence, so we took the opportunity to get many photos. But we quickly came to realize that all the male peacocks were in a showy mood, so we came across many flashing their colors.

Later we saw a white peafowl. While some white peafowls are albino, many are not and the sign noted that is particular bird was a regular white peafowl.

Oh So Many Birds

We came across some smaller peacock like birds as well, but they were grey and had a more elaborate headdress.

There are signs with information about various birds throughout the park which made it more helpful to identify them.

 

Numerous Distinct Sections

We wandered through the largest sections – section 1 and 2 – for a while as these were interconnected, and checked out the many different water birds and jungle birds there, including the red jungle fowl (aka wild chicken). Storks and egrets flew around by the dozens, following the staff tossing food and many others picked at the various fruit on pikes.

There were also owls and other birds of prey in this section too – though they were in their own cages. While most of the birds were free to fly about, there were a few species that were kept in their own habitats, most likely to keep them having to compete with other birds that they wouldn’t get along with.

A Few Birds Don’t Get Free Flight

Once, finished with the first sections, we headed over to section 3 which housed the hornbills. These birds were not in an area of free-flight, but large cages of their own. I am pretty sure this is because they are part of a breeding program for threatened and vulnerable species. The Kuala Lumpur Bird Park has been participating in a very successful breeding program since 2002 and doing their part to educate and help birds.

There was an area with owls.

Feed Lorikeets At Kuala Lumpur Bird Park

Section 4 may be my favorite section – this is where all the parrots reside. Initially, upon coming into this section, you can take your photo with macaws for 15 RM (~$4). We did not want to do this though, so we proceeded on to a smaller house within the section.

The Lorikeet house holds many parrots in their own cages as well as a large open flight area for the Lories. We got nectar for 2 RM ($0.50) and fed the birds for a while. They were pretty eager to get at the cup – a little feisty even at times. A few tried to pull the cups out of our hands and would even snap at nearby birds trying to get in on the action. Once our cup was depleted though, they quickly lost interest in us.

A Lake For The Birds

We then continued on into another section which housed yet more peacock and waterbirds, but this time in a waterfall lagoon. This area was very nice to explore.

Incubating The Chicks

Luckily at this time, cloud cover started to make its way in and threaten to storm. It had been a very hot day, and the cool breeze of rain was a welcome relief. As we exited the area, we walked along and came to a section of small dioramas and information booths about birds in general as well as the incubation process.

The park also houses ostrich, emu, and cassowary in much larger and separated enclosures. We stayed a bit longer, but the sky was threatening to storm. After 3 hours we were starting to get a little tired and hungry so we made our way out of the park. The wristbands would have allowed us to re-enter, but as we had other items on our itinerary we decided to begin making our way out.

Grab A Bite

We exited through the gift shop and decided to stop at the Hornbill Restaurant, operated by the park. Briana had a greek salad. She had been craving having a salad for a while now. We found that a regular lettuce-based salad is not commonly found in Malaysia unless you visit more upscale restaurants or establishments specifically catering to that kind of food.

I got a Fried Mee Mamak, which was excellent and very reminiscent of Pad Thai, though with a Malaysian twist of sambal added in. As was the case with every place that ate while in Malaysia, the food was superb. We both also enjoyed a very refreshing, fresh-pressed watermelon juice.

Upon exiting, we were bid farewell by a playful group of monkeys in the trees.

It is not just visitors who get to eat – there are feedings throughout the day in various areas and we saw workers feeding several different birds. If you wish to participate in the feeding of the birds though, you will need to arrive in the early morning. We had arrived much to late in the day.

Visit Kuala Lumpur Bird Park

Open daily from 9 AM to 6 PM.

You can spend plenty of time at Kuala Lumpur Bird Park, but you don’t need all day either. If you’re going to be brief, I’d recommend allotting two hours. But I think three hours is by far more ideal and will really give you the chance to enjoy the birds and the beautiful park.

• Hours – Open daily from 9 AM to 6 PM
• Address – KL Bird Park, 920, Jalan Cenderawasih, Perdana Botanical Gardens, 50480 Kuala Lumpur

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