After Itaipu – the exotic-bird park of Foz do Iguaçu. | Nota Bene: Eugene Kaspersky’s Official Blog

The Brazilian city of Foz do Iguaçu has plenty to offer the visiting tourist – and not just the waterfalls and the Itaipu Dam; there’s also a really cool bird park – situated right at the exit from the national park of the same name (Foz do Iguaçu) where the waterfalls are. It’s called Parque das Aves (“Bird Park”), and it’s simply must-see!…

Get ready… Coming up: copious quantities of colorful feathered cuties!…

…And not just birdies – plenty of different butterflies and reptiles too…

A really nice place…

And not just because it’s big, where you can walk around for an hour-and-a-half or two – maybe even three…

…But simply because it’s rather unusual here and really varied. For example, it all starts with pink flamingos and some red birds whose name I can’t remember (apologies) ->

Then all sorts of other feathered creatures in an endless variety:

Something inedible in the beak: surely some kind of nest-building material.

The crocodile-and-turtle zone:

Toucans:

Parrots of various colors and levels of cheekiness:

What’s interesting is that in many places here the birds don’t sit in cages, but live in huge aviaries – into which tourists are let into through twin-door lock chambers. And the tourists are simply stunned by getting up close to all the birdies:

Harpy eagles! Ever heard of these birds?

Above, I mentioned “cute” birds. Not so sure that applies to all of them! ->

On we stroll through the nicely arranged tropical jungle…

Parrot pavilion! ->

These two seemed to have a spa session going on – picking all sorts of parasites and other irritating stuff off each other.

Parrot high-rise:

And assorted other things…

Next up: butterflies (in an aviary set aside just for them) ->

Gorgeous designer specimens:

The butterflies’ canteen ) ->

A really wonderful place…

Huge parrots fly right over the heads of the stunned tourists. But catching a flying parrot in a shot – you really have to work at it. I didn’t manage it :-(. These photos were taken by my fellow travelers:

And all sorts of other bird life…

Bad idea – and forbidden! ->

Even if some curious toucan shows interest in you – no touching!…

If you do – a member of staff immediately runs up and asks you to step away.

How times have changed; it used to be all so much more liberal somehow. Scaring the birds was of course forbidden, but allowing them to touch – or sit! – on you was fair game. These photos are from the ancient archives and stories about this place from 2006 and 2010:

Toucans are really smart, curious – and mischievous – birds!…

Their favorite pastime used to be flying over the heads of visitors who’d just walked in (almost touching their heads), scaring them, then sitting on branches and looking back to revel in the after-effects.