aviary

American  

[ey-vee-er-ee] / ˈeɪ viˌɛr i /

noun

plural

aviaries

1. a large cage or a house or enclosure in which birds are kept.

---

aviary British  

/ ˈeɪvjərɪ /

noun

1. a large enclosure in which birds are kept

---

Other Word Forms

• aviarist noun

Etymology

Origin of aviary

1570–80; < Latin aviārium a place where birds are kept, noun use of neuter of aviārius pertaining to birds. See avi-, -ary

Explanation

An aviary is a place where birds are kept, such as a building at the zoo or a bird sanctuary. It can be a peaceful place to visit, but watch out for nasty surprises dropping from birds overhead. Aviary is formed from the Latin word for bird, avis, and the ending -ary, meaning “a place” (similar to the -arium in aquarium). Unlike birdcages for pets, aviaries are large enough to allow the captive birds room to fly around. They are often large enough for people to enter too. Be sure not to confuse aviary with apiary, which is a place for keeping bees, not birds.

Example Sentences

It takes several hours, as though they are building up courage, before one by one they leave the safety of the aviary behind and fly off into the wild.

From BBC • Nov. 9, 2025

Yesterday, we were out in the aviary, and the aviary floor needs a little bit of sweeping after the after the event we had.

From Salon • Nov. 2, 2025

After being released into the new aviary, the vast majority of immigrants -- 80 percent -- switched their method immediately.

From Science Daily • Nov. 14, 2024

Mylene Mariette, a behavioral ecologist at Deakin University, and her team set out to answer that question with zebra finches held in an aviary on campus in Melbourne, Australia.

From Science Magazine • Apr. 24, 2024

A biologically sound zoo enclosure—whether cage, pit, moated island, corral, terrarium, aviary or aquarium—is just another territory, peculiar only in its size and in its proximity to human territory.

From "Life of Pi" by Yann Martel