Brevard Zoo

Here is a great option for those midday hours, when birding typically is least productive. The Brevard Zoo is an educational site that is perfect for all ages. The “Wild Florida” exhibits provide up-close looks at captive Roseate Spoonbill, Crested Caracara, Red-tailed Hawk and Fulvous Whistling-Duck, plus Red Wolf, Northern River Otter and American Crocodile. Educational programs regarding conservation efforts for these species are also offered. A guided kayaking program leads visitors through an on-site, 22-acre restored wetland and maple slough, where you can see wild free-roaming birds such as Great Blue Heron, Green Heron, Sandhill Crane, Mottled Duck, Wood Duck and and Wilson’s Snipe (winter). Songbirds such as Common Yellowthroat, White-eyed Vireo,  Brown Thrasher and Loggerhead Shrike live wild and free at the zoo; roosting Eastern Screech-Owls have been spotted on occasion. Monthly butterfly surveys are conducted by citizen scientists for the Florida Butterfly Monitoring Network, and a portion of the aviary is dedicated to a seasonal butterfly exhibit complete with larval host and nectar plants. Look for Viceroy around the willows and Pipevine Swallowtails at the jaguar exhibit. Programs for groups of 15 people or more and off-site kayaking trips can be scheduled – please call in advance for details and reservations.