Incredible, incredible, incredible! My mum and I almost left this tour off our itinerary but we are SO glad we didn't! I am not an avid "bird person" or anything but the whole experience was very impressive! The grounds were beautiful, the birds (parrots) were very tame and the monorail made getting round the park super easy and the bird show was amazing.

Firstly, jump aboard the air-conditioned monorail to the first stop where you will find Toucan and my favourite, the parrots (see photos!) The parrot enclosure was almost surreal, most people go there first so we went to the Toucans first and when we went to the parrots, go the whole place to ourselves! The parrots were VERY tame letting us touch them!!

There are more stops along the monorail or you can choose to walk. You do see more but the air-conditioning was impossible to resist! At one of the stops you can choose to get out at a "station" and go on a short walk to see the waterfall... it is definately worth the walk as the area has cleverly concealed mist machines and a bridge... the atmosphere is beautiful.

After you have had a walk around / monorail ride around you can head to the amphitheatre for a bird show. Again, my mum and I weren't sure as to whether we would find it boring but it was absolutely great! I don't want to spoil all the suprises so I won't share too much, but you will see some truly amazing stunts by various types of birds, even a singing parrot! We were really impressed and at the end of the show, if you make a donation to the park (down the front, near the stage) the parrots will give you a postcard of one of the stars of the show!

Jurong bird park really was a wonderful day out, it exceeded our expectations immensly and I definately recommend a visit to anyone. Even if like myself, you are not an avid "bird lover" it really is amazing and well worth a visit! I would go again!!

When you're at the Singapore Bird Park, tired and hungry and need a place to stop, rest, and have a bite to eat or a cup of coffee, head for the Australian Lory (these are colorful birds indigenous to Australia) stop. The entrance houses a little coffee shop that features Australian coffee and sandwiches, and an ice cream bar, a nice change from the curry puff stands found elsewhere in the park.

Being birders on our first visit to Singapore, the Jurong Bird Park seemed to offer a relaxing way to see a range of species in one place. We weren't disappointed. For a very reasonable admission price we spent at least three hours wandering among the wide range of exhibits and we didn't see them all. The park is about the right size for a good afternoon's walk. For an extra charge, you can use the elevated monorail. Since the monorail did not offer access to anything we couldn't get to on foot, the only benefit we could see was its air conditioning.

The range of species on display is extremely broad -- from large birds of prey, through parrots of all description, to jungle-floor dwelling creatures of impressive colour. Sea birds are under-represented but there is compensation in the variety of Amazonian and Southeast Asian forest birds. We learned a lot about the birds native to the Malaysian jungles. Why the Bird Park bothers with penguins, I don't know, given Singapore's constant hight temperatures and humidity.

The variety of habitats is impressive. The parrots are mixed in a maze of very large cages with heavy greenery. The pelicans and flamingos have their own lake. The lorikeets have an aviary. In fact, we counted this aviary -- "The Lory Loft" -- as the highlight: a giant 4-story netted aviary housing a small forest over which we could walk on a connected series of towers, catwalks, and suspension bridges. The lorikeets zoom around in small flocks passing only inches away. What a delight. The Amazon jungle aviary, with its large dark forest and high waterfall was also spectacular. If you take the time to watch and wait at the right spots (a feeder is a good bet), you can spot a large range of species among the trees. Also worthwhile was the extensive display of jungle-floor birds.

On the dark side, some habitats were inadequate to the point of being cruel. In this category we place the World of Darkness (some magnificent owls sitting in an enclosed room with scenes painted on the wall), the water birds exhibit (cormorants and gulls sitting around a concrete pond), the birds of prey lane (where the trained birds wait all day in a small room tethered to a perch for an hour's exercise), the ostriches and cassowaries in undersize pens, and the eagle enclosures (where giant birds such as Griffon Vultures and Stellars Sea Eagles gaze despondently from the top of a concrete wall in a tall narrow caged area).

The two shows we attended -- All Stars and Birds of Prey -- were well conducted and entertaining. These shows are valuable mainly for the opportunity to have a close look at birds in flight. The birds of prey handlers were a bit rough on the birds but having a vulture brush the top of the audience's heads was worth seeing. If only the presenters would stop feeling a need to shout into their microphones.

In general, the park is aimed at children and families, but the serious bird lover can find a lot of quiet spots in the park to admire a parrot or kingfisher.

Two minor problems of note: First, we saw rats on at least four occasions. They seem to be attracted by the bird feed. We also saw several live traps discreetly placed around enclosures so the park is obviously aware of the problem. Second, the gift shop was extremely thin on stock. We were hoping for the kind of high-quality merchandise of the kind you find in most museum gift shops, and perhaps even some bird-related books, CDs, and magazines. No such luck -- only generic trinkets and post cards were on offer.

Overall, a worthwile afternoon.