Feathered Fathers

Staff will pay tribute to some of finest feathered fathers as part of a celebration for Father’s Day.

Early summer is always a busy time for the team at Birdland, with eggs and chicks aplenty, but there will be a special focus on the male of the species to mark Father’s Day on Sunday, June 18.

Activities include a talks programme which highlights some of Birdland’s most hard-working dads and describes how some fathers are literally left holding the baby.

In some cases, like the park’s King penguins, the parents share incubation of their single egg – taking it in turns to keep the egg warm on top of their feet while in others, the males end up doing most of the hard work when it comes to looking after the babies.

Head Keeper, Alistair Keen, said: “Some of our most prominent birds are male, such as Seth, the oldest male King penguin in Europe, Asia or Australia. He is the last remaining penguin to star in the movie Batman Returns.” Birdland, in Bourton-on-the-Water, is home to one of the largest collections of exotic birds in the UK. Located in the heart of the beautiful Cotswolds, the park’s combination of wildlife, woodland, riverside and gardens makes it the perfect day out.