Five Birds You’ll Meet at the Ark Encounter

The Ark Encounter features animals of all shapes and sizes both inside the life-size Noah’s Ark and outside in the Ararat Ridge Zoo. You won’t want to miss the opportunity to see the variety of animal sculptures inside the Ark and live animals in the Ararat Ridge Zoo, because you might get to meet creatures that you may or may not be familiar with. Here are five interesting birds that you will meet as you take in all that the Ark Encounter has to offer.

Raven

When you enter the study where you can ask our animatronic Noah questions from the touchscreen monitor, be on the lookout for the raven on the right side of the exhibit. As Noah provides his answers, you can also hear the raven caw in the background. Did you know the raven was the first bird that Noah released from the Ark? (Genesis 8:6–7)

Parrots

The Lord brought seven pairs of each kind of flying creature to Noah. Since most of the other animals on the Ark were represented by single pairs, birds make up more than half of the ship’s animal population. Each enclosure depicted in the living quarters could house several birds. Can you find the representatives of the parrot kind? They look interested in meeting you!

Dove

After the Ark landed on a mountain in the region of Ararat, Noah sent out a raven and then a dove to find out if the ground had dried. Seven days after the dove returned without any evidence of dry land, he sent it out again, and this time it returned with an olive leaf (Genesis 8:11–12). You can find this scene depicted in the living quarters exhibit.

Emus

When you head out to the Ararat Ridge Zoo, you will see two different types of ratites (large flightless birds with a flat breastbone). We have four curious emus for you to see. Emus live in Australia, and they are the second-tallest bird in the world. Did you know their average lifespan is around 20 years in the wild and 35 years in zoos? Check out this blog for more fun facts about these amazing creatures.

Ostriches

Our newest animals in the Ararat Ridge Zoo are also ratites. Our three ostriches arrived just last week. Ostriches are native to Africa and are the largest living birds in the world. You may be wondering, “How can you tell the difference between the emus and ostriches?” Ostriches have only two toes, while emus have three. Our ostriches do not have names yet, so be sure to share your suggestions with us on social media. As you come up with ideas, keep in mind that all the animals living in the Ararat Ridge Zoo have biblical names.

Start planning your trip to visit the Ark Encounter to meet all of our animals, and then share your favorite photos and memories on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.