Zoo opens £2.5m exotic birdhouse

London Zoo unveiled its new tropical bird exhibition yesterday which allows visitors to walk through an enclosure as rare birds fly overhead.

The £2.5m refurbishment of the Victorian pavilion is part of the zoo's drive to allow visitors to get closer to more than 650 animals. Highlights of the birdhouse include the UK's only collection of hummingbirds, Socorro doves, a species extinct in the wild, toucans, kookaburras and partridges. Visitors progress along a boardwalk through rainforest and cloud forest environments. David Field, a zoo spokesman, said: "The response that we are getting has been tremendous... We hope visitors will be drawn into the wonder of the avian world."