World Bird Sanctuary Review

The World Bird Sanctuary is a beautiful place to take children. There is a path that is wheelchair accessible to see the birds. There are trails throughout the park, and a wonderful playground.

They have a list of things they need for donations online and available at the park too!

What an amazing place! Many kinds of birds and the naturalists truly care for these animals. Stay for the show and enjoy birds in flight. I was so impressed that this is a free, family-friendly place. Rare to find free places that offer this much. Worth the stop!

The kids had a great time looking at the raptor birds and learning about them. The playground was a pleasant surprise.

We did the Emu experience. It was awesome interacting with the Emu. We feed and petted him and learn about Emus form the keeper that was with us.

An amazing place with awesome services & access to birds of all kinds.

Gorgeous birds and great scout projects to support this great foundation, love it here!

We had my son's birthday party here and the staff did an amazing job. They brought an owl, peregrine falcon, blue tongue skink, and a boa. The animals did very well around the children and the information was interesting. The park is also very informative. I like how they explain why the birds are not released. Most of the birds are released and the ones kept are often unable to live in the wild because of a disability.

Dropped off a baby Barred Owl to be further cared for and they put it down. This place is a joke and only cares for eagles and other so called impressive birds of prey. This is a million dollar nonprofit organization! They said the baby owls wing was broke in three places and couldn't be fixed. This is a lie! Though this place claims to be the best in the world, another lie and joke! The baby owl was in my care for about two weeks. It was eating, jumping, walking and even balancing itself on my window ledge but yet they tell me its wing is broke in three places and can't be healed and kill it. Instead of admitting to their guilt of no care, animal cruelty and misappropriation of donated funds they insult me about not being educated enough in avian care. This place needs audited and shut down! They only take care of birds they can impress people with emotions to receive donations.This place is so greedy and beg for donations at every turn in there park area. I only rated it a one star because there was not anything less to rate with. The man I talked on the phone with was rude, uncaring and mean. I could not get a word in and then when he sensed I was very displeased he basically hung up on me. This is the worst place ever! Don't take any there unless you want it to be killed. Do not dontate to this place they do not use the donation to care for your rescued animals. Their code of ethnics will make you faint after you read it and then see how they really are.

This was so much fun. I learned a lot about birds and saw some of the cutest dang critters ever I did see. I was surprised to find hiking trails there, which I was not at all dressed for, but they were still nice. The staff were all super friendly. I can't wait to go back.

Days after we went, my 6 y/o is still talking about it and wants to learn more.

I visited for the Owl Prowl, which was 2 solid hours of observing birds and learning about them and the sanctuary. The staff are knowledgeable and passionate about their charges, and they're constantly improving the facilities. It's exhilarating to go on a crisp night to enjoy nature.

Nice scenic area with a little bird zoo/rescue. Not a huge area, but well worth a visit. Parking is a bit limited in the area. The gift shop is nice. The best thing is the bird show. Loved seeing the various animals out and showing off. The kids loved it as well.

I love coming here, the staff are always friendly and I love the birds! Not crowded during the week!

Wild raptors of all kinds are there. Many of the birds were recovered after being wounded in the wild and treated at the animal hospital on the grounds. A gift shop is also on the grounds.

Great family activity. Animals and a playground for kids.

The World Bird Sanctuary is beautiful! A variety of aviary friends are available to meet!( Plus some reptiles as well) My two year old loved it! The interactive exhibits were absolutely captivating! I would definitely recommend a visit!

Really neat. Super cool birds. Make sure you find when the showiness are so you get the full experience.

If you love bird this is one that you can't miss out on.

This place is a great place to to just drop what you are doing and have a great family time visit with all the wild birds you might not see on a daily basis love world bird sanctuary

There is free. So good. but I felt a little sorry for the eagle on the cage.

My boys enjoyed it and liked playing on the playground! Very shady on a hot sunny day!!

We went to an Owl Prowl. It was so great! The staff was very knowledgeable, nice, and funny. The facility is very nice.

Such a great place to visit your friends and family

The birds on display were tied to posts for too long, and the enclosures were generally inadequate. The golden eagles and other predators in the cages seemed bored and depressed. The parrots and pigeons seemed content but I would like to see larger enclosures for the birds of prey with more vegetation, shade, and places for the birds to keep their distance from people, especially the owls who are shy nocturnal creatures. The surrounding park is just beautiful and I walked down to the river with nobody else there, and it was very pretty. Too bad the birds don't have more of a view of the forest and should be tucked in more into the forest. It felt like an outdoor zoo. I know it costs money to improve conditions. We need some rich donators out there to help pay for better enclosures. Someone needs to insist that they stop tying up birds to posts with only a few feet of rope like a dog. I wouldn't tether my chihuahua like that, let alone a raptor. If we want to have birds for display which is a questionable practice, then at least build better homes for these unfortunate wild creatures. I also disagree with the captive breeding of a EuroAsian owl. Poor little thing was tied to a post and just left there doing nothing. The raven was living a sad life. It did a show where it collected dollars but then they stuck it in a sad small cage by itself doing nothing but imitating the owls, which was amazing, by the way to hear a raven making hooting sounds. Ravens are awesome. Another raven was languishing in a cage outside. I think it is fine to display them but more from a distance, and not let people gawk at them all day long. What are we teaching? I know that these display raptors are injured and can't be returned to the wild but still they deserve more privacy and a better quality of life. I know that the volunteers are doing their best but whoever is in charge needs to get a clue.

Great park, very interesting. Would love to see more birds.

Awesome place. But need maintenance I could see lot of works were going on. Once those are completed I hope this will be a better place. Must visit once guys... They make the eagles fly just above our heads.. Lot of activities... You should feel good.

This is one of the coolest places to visit. There are so many different types of birds and so much to learn about them. They also have shows with eagles and owls which often follow up with a meet and great with the featured animals. There's a nice sized playground for the kids and a little space in doors that features some reptiles as well. Great place yo visit for free!

My grandkids loved seeing the Eagles, the vultures, the Emu and the beautiful Ravens, etc. Well worth the $8.00 per car. Then go see the Lone Elk State Park. Great combination of places to teach kids about nature.

The triplets are enjoying their week of day camp there.

The birds are incredible. The passionate staff is what makes this place truly amazing, though. They'll talk and answer any questions and some. My daughter and i learned a ton and were invigorated by the staff's love for nature and animals. Will be back as a patron or to volunteer. Can't wait!

My first time going. My husband and I decided to take our grandsons and we all enjoyed the experience.

So many birds. The staff was so helpful! Lovely time.

Wonderful setting with many rescued birds to view in outdoor cages. Also hiked on two trails that loop from/to the sanctuary grounds. There is a picnic area and playground, too. Great place to spend some time.

A magical place of wildlife conservation with loving hosts who will teach you everything you need to know about life and how to live it well.

Let your conscience be your guide as you fall in love with birds and wildlife in general.

Great place to go especially having a great playground that my kids enjoy very much!!!

There was a lot to see and it was really enjoyable for the kids!

Pretty cool to see all the birds, but most were not out

Thank you so much Tess for making my first visit to the Bird Sanctuary memorable! I will definitely be back in spring!

Great place to spend an hour or so with the kids and see Beautiful exotic birds including predators.

I didn't know this place was as extensive as it is until I got there. There are many hawks and eagles and owls and friendly and knowledgeable staff. They are a charity to help with conservation and rehabilitation of a number of bird species.

Definitely a good addition to visiting the nearby Lone Elk Park or the Chubb Trail.

Plenty of parking and easy access and accessibility for much of the Sanctuary as well as a few short hiking trails.

Beautiful setting, bird rehabilitation center and sanctuary, view species from around the world in large, safe enclosures. Natural hiking trails of different degrees of difficulty. Fun and informative shows, reading for children, playground, gift shop, clean restroom. Warm friendly and informative staff; great with children.

Such a cool place. We happened to be in the reptile area at the time they were closing for the day. One of the handlers was bringing some of the birds inside for the night and he took the time to tell us about each bird as he brought them in. Such a great place for all ages to learn about these beautiful birds.

Love, Love, Love this place! Combines most of my childish loves in one place; cute fluffy birds, educational content, and love of outdoors. There is a short walking trail that takes you through the bird enclosures, you can peek in the bird hospital, and depending on the day/season you can see a presentation by some of the bird keepers where they will fly some of the birds close up. I recommend bringing water and slathering on the bug spray before hand. And while your in the area check out Lone Elk Park and the Wolf Sanctuary!

This was a really neat place, tons on birds close enough to see them!
This is all done with volunteer work and donations, don't expect anything as nice as a zoo and that's why I gave it 4 stars. But you can certainly get closer to the birds here compared to a zoo! Really neat place, I'd drop by, they also have a small playground and pavilion too.

This is such a fantastic place and I wish more people knew about it. There are so many varieties of birds who call this place home, and you can visit them for free! You'll get to see eagles, owls, hawks, corvids, an array of vultures, emus, pheasants, and various exotic birds. The friendly volunteers who care for these creatures are more than happy to share their knowledge and help others learn about these birds. Whether you're a bird nerd, a nature lover, a Pokemon Go player, or just someone looking for something different to do, this is the place to go. Don't forget to check out the gift shop before you leave, too - especially if you like plushies!

This was a fantastic experience and right across from Lone Elk park. All of the staff we encountered were top notch and very knowledgeable, we learned a lot on our visit. Everything is outdoors and the large birds are on a hill with a slight incline so I would recommend going on a cooler day when it would be more enjoyable. The birds were very active and fun to watch!

This is a separate non profit and not part of the Missouri Department of Conservation so remember to make a donation or stop by the gift shop to help out!

Iconic outdoor space unique to St Louis! A must see for all; come see the birds and take a hike on their beautiful trails. Open all year round.

World Bird Sanctuary has a wide variety of birds and we make a trip out there each year. Admission is free so make sure to donate to keep the place open. On the weekends, there's a bird show where you get birds flying over the audience and doing other tricks. There are also hiking trails in the vicinity. Make sure to watch for directions as you have to get on a frontage road to get to this park.

A great place to visit. Dress warm right now, it's all outdoors. Don't forget to bring the little ones. They will love to see these birds up close.

We love taking a walk and looking at the different brds and animals here. A great activity to combine with a drive through nearby Lone Elk Park.

The World Bird Sanctuary has gone through a lot of changes over the years. I just revisited it, and it's better than ever. Dawn Griffard has done a great job with it, as the Executive Director. The facilities are clean, the birds are amazing, the programs are top-notch. (Go to the birds in concert in August - you won't regret it.) The staff is truly dedicated to making sure the birds are healthy and the experience is inspiring. It was fun running into Mike, Roger, and Dan - all of whom have worked there for over a decade. The three-fold mission of conservation, education, and propagation of important bird species is one I think deserves our support.

It's an amazing experience to be so close to these beautiful, adorable, and sometimes fearsome birds. The staff is awesome, and always happy to answer questions and explain the birds' behaviors.

We went to the wizarding owl-o-ween. It was a lot of fun.

The birds are incredible, but with Covid, interactive exhibits and shows are temporarily shut down (as is the playground), so they request $8/vehicle at the entrance. WORTH IT! Don't skip the gift shop where you can easily find under $5 souvenirs.

Very Disgusted! I went to the World Bird Sanctuary for the first time on Thursday November 1, 2012. I was shocked at what I saw, there were about 10 birds in an area with no shelter and they were all tied to about a 2 foot rope. They had just enough room to hop up to their perch and down to get to their pan of water. When a volunteer or employee came up to us, I asked if they were always kept like this or if it was just during the hours when people come to visit. The man quickly became very defensive and and said that they cant fly and in the wild just stay perched all of the time, I mentioned that these birds only have a few feet to move around and asked if that is a happy life for them he yelled back "do they look happy" I said I dont know, then he said "well how much do you donate to us" I said I am not trying to start a fight with you I am just thinking of the best thing for the birds. I CAN NOT BELIEVE HE ASKED HOW MUCH I DONATE TO THEM; as a matter of fact I donate to several organizations and I am happy they are not one of them! He compared his birds to dogs and horses that are tethered, I said I consider that abuse if that is how they live. He said he hopes we go see the rest of the birds because they are all in cages, but I dont care how the rest of the birds are living great when even 1 is being abused like this. I am going to follow up with organizations to see what can be done about this.

This was a great way to spend an hour on a Saturday. I was picking up plants on one of their local plant sales and decided to walk around the sanctuary. I paid the $8 per car suggested donation, this would have been a fantastic deal if I'd brought a friend, and was directed to the vendor pick up area.

The sanctuary itself took about an hour for me to walk around. It probably would have taken longer if I'd been with friends. It wasn't crowded even though the parking lot was full. It was very relaxing walking around and looking at all the birds.

I'd definitely go back. Their events sound like they could be cool so I might try one someday.

Love this place! Great trails to walk, fun to see all the animals, and it's FREE! Highly recommend visiting here!

World Bird Sanctuary belies what really goes on around here. There are many animals besides birds, in rehab and wild. There are deer that come out of the woods and hang around humans, bats, insects, and reptiles in the main building. Trails lead you to the Meramec river through an almost century old tunnel. Lone Elk Park is a must after you leave WBS. Elk, deer, bison, and geese are plentiful. Truly a great day out.

Great selection of birds. Very informative volunteers.

Nice variety of eagles, owls and other birds now in good care.

I work at Adventure Learning Center and we brought our school age children here. They had a blast. Jim talked to us about a bald eagle named Liberty. CJ gave us a guided tour of the outdoor exhibits and showed us how he trains the birds.

Love this place, so many beautiful birds and great staff!

A fun place to go to I'll always love going there to see all the birds a nice place to just to get out and to do something fun it's like going to brandson mo thinking about going this week all the birds are really cool to see

Attended the Owl Prowl. A lot of fun and learned so much about owls. The lecture was entertaining and the outside prowl was very informative. All of the speakers were very nice and informative. We loved seeing all of the owls and other wildlife.

The shows are so good. And the birds are amazing and well taken care of. We go frequently and it's always a good time.

Love this place. It is always changing and love seeing birds they have rescued and saved. The employees also allowed my little niece ask questions and they did not act bothered by her approaching them to ask. The lady walked her around and answered them all and also taught her stuff. They are all amazing there.

Great place to take kids. You get a very up close view of many birds

This place is way neater than you might think. They have tons of unique birds on a nice walking path.

I went here yesterday with my work, and my group of kids, that have autism and we were told we were unfit and stressing the birds out. We were told our kids were too loud & were screaming, which only one of them were and that is how they communicate. The way the staff approached this was unwelcoming and I wish they would have approached the situation differently.

A true back to nature experience away from the bustle of the city. The birds are highly visible and the exhibits are well documented.

This is my favorite place they do alot of good work here.

Hello from Jamaica! Wah Gwann! I am a professor at The University of The West Indies teaching medical sciences. I have come over to Missouri last year to visit my grand daughter who is studying STEM careers. She seemed elated about showing the trails at the World Bird Sanctuary!
I decided to give the Sanctuary a call to let them know we'd be coming and to be informed about upcoming shows or events. When I called them, a man picked up and was rudely snickering at my accent. (Legally speaking, the phone call was a a form of harassment and discrimination. It is illegal under federal laws to discriminate against characteristics which include race, color, national origin, gender, pregnancy, religion, genetic info. etc.) Then, he hung up almost immediately on me. I was displeased with his tone as well, but I decided it was just a mistake and a bad day.
My daughter and I left early the next morning to discover the trails. We immediately fell in love with the nature and all the birds. We even saw deer farther down the trails! Although we saw a disturbing man in a tree, it was a very pleasant experience. There were people riding horses, bike riding, and walking, but further down, it was just us. Amazing trails and recommend it to all.
Then, we decided to go into the gift shop area. That's where things took a turn. The gift shop was filled with a variety of animals such as a bunny, armadillo, python, bats, parrots, etc. And towards the weathering area were birds tied to perches. The animals seemed well taken care of although I could make a few adjustments. We made a donation and enjoyed it greatly.
I saw the back of the room and it seemed the Staff were not very dedicated to their job. Most of them, I saw sitting down and the young volunteers were working extremely hard cleaning the owl stalls. I also witnessed a young volunteer almost in tears being yelled at by a woman, whom cursed as well saying the volunteer had better get her "behind" in gear. I love working with children and have a deep passion in working with all ages, but this is NO way to treat young volunteers.
The overall experience was amazing, but the Sanctuary does not have the right to treat children in such a manner. Where I come from, this would be considered a hostile work environment and the woman who yelled would be fired right away or at least face a consequence. On your website it states they gain opportunities, but I doubt being yelled at is one of them. I would like to survey several young volunteers to look into how they are being treated. According to the Labor Laws of Missouri, the entertainment/work industry requires breaks and rest periods for youth workers as well. A youth can NOT work more than 5 hours with out a meal break and an additional 15 minute rest period (Which counts towards the work/volunteer time) is required after 2 hours of continuous work for youth.
In conclusion, the behavior of 2 staff members I have experienced was stomach twisting and inappropriate. Please reconsider the amount of pressure on young volunteers. But my granddaughter and I did enjoy the nature trails and wildlife and how informative and helpful the staff was. This place would be better off returned to U.S Army as the area of munitions depot.

This place is cool to see some eagles and other rare birds, but it needs help. I wouldn't say it's in disrepair, but it's a bit old and run down. We had fun and you can see the support of the boy scouts everywhere as they are a huge donator of support, time, and materials.

Great for a short half day visit. Adequate shaded areas to view many species of birds, lots of rescued eagles. They make great use of Boy Scouts for construction of structures, no entrance fee & rely on donations to operate & maintain the birds thy house there. Nice for young kids and seniors with paved trails, hiking trails and educational shows.