A zoo for birds can be found at World Bird Sanctuary in western St. Louis County just off Interstate 44. Here you can see North American birds such as eagles to Australian birds such as a kookaburra.
History of World Bird Sanctuary
Walter Crawford who grew up in Venezuela among the exotic birds in the jungles founded the sanctuary. He worked at the St. Louis Zoo and decided to start a bird sanctuary in the Midwest.
With the St. Louis Zoo’s blessing by zoo director emeritus Marlin Perkins in 1977, he founded the 105-acre World Bird Sanctuary.
Our Time Here
Entering the Sanctuary
We entered through the gate. At the front, a gentleman asked for donations and said, “We’ve had a hard time running the place due to Covid-19.”
I was more than happy donating the $8 since they provide care for injured birds.
Heading from the Parking Lot
We parked in the first area as we entered the sanctuary. I thought it was busy at first until I noticed that on the other side the parking area was mostly empty. We put on our masks and began the walk to see the birds.
First Area of Birds
We walked towards the left to the first section of birds. This area had smaller birds with a wide variety of owls.
Main Bird Area
Next, we headed to the right passing by restrooms and the wildlife hospital. Heading down the paved footpath from parking we entered the main bird exhibits.
Emus
Here we came across emus in one of the larger enclosures. These birds are over four feet tall, have long necks, flightless and sort of like ostriches, and are native to Australia. I always take a moment to show my son Andrew them since my parents used to raise them when I was a kid.
I am not a tall person and emus are all taller than me, which I always found a bit freaky. They also make a thumping noise, which I was never comfortable with.
Eagles
“I want to see the eagles,” he said.
We went from enclosure to enclosure until we saw two of them. They were sitting on a long branch watching us as we stared into the cage.
Condors
I noticed then a huge bird with light brown wings, white-collar, and with huge talons clinging to its perch.
“That’s an Andean Condor out of South America,” I said.
“Wow, that’s a big bird,” he said.
Vultures
He was into seeing turkey vultures. We had come across some circling overhead the other day when we were out hiking.
“Is that one,” Andrew asked.
“Yes, a red-headed vulture from India,” I said.
Then he ran farther down the path.
“There are the ones I saw the other day,” he said.
The turkey vultures native to North America were at the end.
Lookout
The path here ends in a lookout. On the railing, there are descriptions of the different types of birds you can see around here. He had me read them off and looked into the trees for them.
Heading Back
After the lookout, we headed back up the hill back through the exhibits. On the way back we went slower and at each cage, he asked what the bird was and where it was from. I read it off to him. We passed by a swallow-tailed kite, a peregrine falcon, pelicans, Steller’s sea eagle, ravens, and a kookaburra to name a few.
Leaving for Home
He was ready to go after seeing the birds. It was not a busy day so we could see into the enclosures without a lot of people blocking our view. This was probably the best part of going here on a weekday and not a weekend.
Final Thoughts
I would go here again. Eight dollars per vehicle is not too much for a place the rehabilitates birds. It looks like they are expanding the size of enclosures to give the birds more areas to roam.
Andrew was really into learning about the birds and I think it is important that he gains knowledge about wildlife and the environment. Hopefully, he’ll be environmentally conscious so we’ll still have birds well into the future.
NOTE: I couldn’t possibly all the birds we saw here, feel free to share the amazing birds you come across when you visit in the comments!
More Information
Check the website for more about events, programs, and experiences.
Short Hikes At World Bird Sanctuary
The area also has hiking trails. Check the website or ask sanctuary personnel for more information on the trails.
Turtle Bob Trail – one-mile loop — The trailhead is located across from the Wildlife Hospital. The trail goes through an oak and hickory forest along with pawpaw trees in the valley. Box turtles can be seen here in the spring.
Hickory Trail – .25 mile – This trailhead is located at the end of the long line of display enclosures. The trail is named for the abundant number of hickory trees found along the trail. Watch for migrating warblers in the spring and fall. Summer brings many lizards and winter is a perfect time to see a wild turkey or a White-tailed deer.
Tunnel Trail – .25 mile – Once you reach the end of the Hickory Trail, bear left to see “Walt’s Pond”. Named after Walter C. Crawford Jr., founder of World Bird Sanctuary, this pond is home to all types of amphibians – including frogs and salamanders. This area is also a favorite visiting area for wild turkey, white-tailed deer, squirrels, chipmunks, and flying squirrels.
Mariah’s Summit Trail – .5 mile – This trail offers a return trip from Walt’s Pond to the Leapfrog Trail, which eventually leads to the front gate and one of the Turtle Bob Trail trailheads. This trail is a slightly more difficult trail than the Hickory Trail and is still undergoing its final construction.
DETAILS:
Drive: Go down Interstate 44 out of the St. Louis Area. Take Exit 272 for MO-141 toward Fenton/Valley Park. Keep right and follow signs for North Outer Road. Continue on Outer Road West Drive to Lone Elk Park Road. At the traffic circle, take the second exit onto Meramec Street/Outer Road West. Then at the next traffic circle take the first exit and stay on Meramec Street/ Outer Road West. Outer Road West turns right and becomes Lone Elk Park Road. Look for the sign for Wild Bird Sanctuary on your right.
NOTE: No pets allowed
Hours: 8 am – 5 pm daily
Admission: Suggested donation of $8 per car. No pets allowed.
Address: 125 Bald Eagle Ridge Road, Valley Park, MO 63088
More Animal Encounters
Lone Elk Park
Lone Elk Park in West County St. Louis is the only place where you are guaranteed to see elk or bison in a gated park and is located off the same road that the World Bird Sanctuary is on.
Here you can hike the four-mile earthen and rock White Bison Trail in the elk section or you can see the wildlife by driving through the park on a mostly one-lane road.
While you are here be on the lookout for other wildlife such as deer, wild turkeys, and waterfowl.
Dad Hikes: Riverlands Migratory Bird Sanctuary
See a wide variety of birds as you walk along trails in Mississippi River bottomland at Riverlands Migratory Bird Sanctuary.
The day we went we spotted a large group of pelicans, blue herons, gulls, white egrets, wood ducks, Canadian geese, and other birds.
Next Blog I will share where you can take the kids to see farm animals and feed goats and chickens at a St. Louis County Park!
