A daily educational show in which keepers present various bird species demonstrating their natural abilities to an audience of visitors. Birds used in the show include Blue-and-yellow macaws, European eagle owl, Harris hawks, toco toucan, bald eagle and hyacinth macaws.
The Bird House was built as a Reptile House to replace the 1849 reptile house, the world's first. It was built 1882-83 by Charles Brown Trollope, architect; Holland and Hannen, builders. It cost £9,175. It was in part funded through the sale to P T Barnum of Jumbo the elephant. It was converted 1927-28 by P E C Lain, architect, to a scheme devised by David Seth-Smith, Curator of Birds and Mammals, and a committee of ornithologists. Small bird aviaries were inserted in 1974 by John Toovey, architect. North service block added.
In 2008 is was rebuilt as the Blackburn Pavilion.
At the south western corner of the Reptile House stands a bronze statue of a bear cub on a brick plinth. Nearby there is a bronze dedication plaque. The statue commemorates Winnie, the American Black Bear from Winnipeg, who was resident on the Mappin Terraces from 1914 to 1934 and whose name was adopted by A A Milne for Winnie-the-Pooh. The statue was unveiled by Christopher Robin. Installed 1981, donated by the Trustees of Pooh Properties; Lorne McKean, sculptor.
At the centre of the circulation area at the east end of the Children's Zoo there is a small bronze statue of a child riding a bear. It was installed in 1928, donated in memory of Sigismund Goetze by his widow; E M A, sculptor. Moved about 1977. The statue was moved to the Library in 2013.
