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Zoo unveils £2.5m tropical bird house for rare species
Evening Standard19.03.08
London Zoo unveils its latest attraction tomorrow - a £2.5 million tropical bird experience.
The Blackburn Pavilion will house some of the world's rarest birds, including hummingbirds, Bali starlings and Socorro doves, which are now extinct in the wild.
Built in 1883 as a reptile house, it was turned into an aviary in the Twenties. It has now been restored to its former glory with the addition of a glass roof so it is flooded with light.
The main walkway, with a waterfall and bridge, has space for 200 birds to fly freely, while the smaller cloud forest wing contains Britain's only hummingbirds.
Emma Kenly from the zoo said keepers hoped to breed rare species and return them to the wild.
She said: "Cats and sheep were introduced to the Mexican island of Socorro which wiped out the groundnesting doves. They are now extinct in the wild but the islanders are changing the conditions and we hope the grandchildren of our doves could be returned to the island."
The pavilion is named after philanthropist Sir David Blackburn, who underwrote the cost of the restoration.
