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Budgies are free to eat from guests' food-covered popsicle sticks in this brand-new Bronx Zoo exhibit.

Exploring the Bronx Zoo's Budgie Landing

Budgie Landing is located in a large, airy tent adjacent to the Bronx Zoo Mouse House, and upon arrival, the excitement builds as visitors can catch a peek at these free-flying beauties through mesh openings in the tent and, even better, hear their cacophony of excited tweets, chirps, and songs.

Each visitor receives one feeding stick—basically, an extra-large popsicle stick coated in edible glue and seeds that the budgies can land on and munch off of once you've entered the encounter.

While there's no guarantee that budgies will choose to nosh off your stick, my daughter and I left with our sticks pecked clean, attracting multiple birds to our feeding sticks at a time, even.

We loved watching the colorful birds—whose feathers come in a range of colors from white and pale yellow, to brilliant, bright greens and turquoises flit about, play with one another, and at times get riled up and take flight en masse during our visit.

Little kids definitely require supervision and a helping hand to hold the feeding sticks steady and position them over the low wall that lines the path separating it from the main exhibit area. All told, I'd plan to spend 20 minutes or so feeding the birds, taking budgie selfies, and enjoying this close encounter!

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It's equally fun watching the budgies perch, play, and fly about as having one land on your feeding stick.

Admission to Budgie Landing at the Bronx Zoo

Budgie Landing requires an additional ticket beyond your zoo admission, including for members or visitors with Total Experience tickets. Budgie Landing tickets can be purchased online in advance or when you arrive at the exhibit for $5 per person ($3 for members), and each ticket comes with one feeding stick.

All Bronx Zoo visitors must book admission tickets online in advance. Members must book time and date-specific tickets before visiting as well. Keep in mind, Wednesdays are still FREE days at the Bronx Zoo, so you can save a bundle on zoo admission by booking tickets from the Wednesday Ticket Store beginning at 5pm the preceding Monday.

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It's hard not to smile when a budgie comes to feed from your stick!

Insider Tips for Budgie Landing

I'd suggest visiting in the morning if your heart is set on feeding the budgies. When we arrived at midday, some had already been feasting for a couple of hours and were more content to perch and preen than eat our offerings. Budgie Landing's closing time varies, too, so plan to visit before 3pm or risk missing out altogether.

Budgie Landing is a seasonal exhibit as well, so be sure to visit before October or you'll have to wait until next spring to see them.

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Meet June Bug the African porcupine during a Wild Encounter at the Bronx Zoo.

More Animal Encounters at the Bronx Zoo

My animal-loving daughter celebrated a birthday with one of the Bronx Zoo's Wild Encounters and is begging to go back. I can't recommend them highly enough!

Of course, the Children's Zoo is always on our list of must-visit exhibits, too, and she's sure the alpaca she fed on this trip is the same one she met as a cria a few years ago, proclaiming them to be old friends!

We also made sure to hit the sea lion pool at feeding time and got plenty of giggles out of watching the gorillas enjoy an afternoon snack as keepers tossed them oranges, apples, and celery when we were there at midday. It was completely lucky—times aren't published—but a highlight of our visit.

More Bronx Zoo Visitor Tips

The new Budgie Landing exhibit is only the beginning of the fun at the Bronx Zoo. You can get all our top tips for seeing the Bronx Zoo like a local in our full review.

Photos by the author