The Free Flight Exotic Bird Sanctuary in Del Mar offers a fun and exciting experience at which visitors can interact with a colorful array of parrots. The sanctuary allows visitors to pet and hold any of the birds, and all for the low admission price of seven dollars, with the addition of fifty cents to feed the birds. From the cleanliness of the facility to the friendly staff, the Free Flight Exotic Bird Sanctuary is a true hidden gem in San Diego.

   Upon walking into the sanctuary, visitors are immediately met with calls from the many birds on their wooden perches. The sanctuary itself is surrounded by big trees, holds a beautiful koi fish pond, and is lined with dirt pathways that allow for an immersive experience for guests. Surprisingly, for a sanctuary dedicated to an animal that is known to defecate frequently, everything is kept in tip-top shape. The only smell present was the calming scent of the waterfall near the koi pond.

   The sanctuary is run by staff members and volunteers, all of whom are very knowledgeable about parrots. According to their website, their goals include re-socializing the parrots and informing the public about the complexity of their birds (freeflightbirds.org). Volunteers roam the sanctuary while offering tips on how to hold the parrots, sharing facts and information about each parrot, and offering insight on each of the birds’ very unique personalities. Junior Kayla Dinh visited the sanctuary last fall and noted, “It was very different from the bird exhibits at the San Diego Zoo or Wild Animal Park. I was able to hold and interact with the parrots in a completely different way.” Unlike the San Diego Zoo or Wild Animal Park, where they have bird exhibits that only allow you to feed the birds from afar, the Free Flight Exotic Bird Sanctuary allows guests to get right up close and personal with any of the parrots they might like. 

   Parrots are known for their ability to speak and mimic the actions of humans, and the parrots in the sanctuary are no exception. “One of the volunteers was telling us about how each bird has its own personality. For example, one of the red parrots really likes to dance and play peek-a-boo with the staff members,” Dinh recalled. A blue and green parrot named Riley specifically likes the green vitamin treats, an all-yellow parrot named Baby Bird will only allow herself to be held by women, and an all-green parrot named Cookie only likes to be held by teenage girls. The lively and unique personalities of the individual birds provide for a very special experience.

   Parrots have recently faced the threat of endangerment. According to Parrot Fun Zone, a website dedicated to facts and education about parrots, parrots have lost about a third of their wild population, and are seeing less domestic adoptions (parrotfunzone.com). Parrots also live a very long time, with life spans ranging from fifty to seventy years, which typically means parrots have multiple owners in their lifetimes. Luckily, the Free Flight Exotic Bird Sanctuary is able to give local parrots a safe and enjoyable environment in which to live, while being a neat place to visit in San Diego.