Job: Bird Keeper

Job: Bird Keeper
Job Description
- Monitoring birds health, breeding condition and
behaviour
- Food preparation (fruit, insects, etc)
- Hygiene management to prevent disease
- Capture and restraint of birds for vet or to move it to
another aviary
- Setting up aviaries for exhibiting to the public (need to
consider both the bird’s and the public’s needs) and also
off-show aviaries for breeding.
- Managing breeding programmes, not just for the birds
here but also in other institutions through studbooks.
This is a highly specialised field, but there are senior
positions that you can work your way up to or field
research is another area that you could move into.
Skills/Qualities
- Observational skills - vital
- Passion for birds,
- Physically fit,
- Perseverance,
- Good sense of humour!
Qualifications
Degree in zoology or conservation biology or similar.
Knowledge is useful but skills are also vital too as it is possible to get into this field without
a degree but with lots of practical experience. However for field research, you would
need a science background.
Work experience?
Work experience is the only way to get a job, it is even more
important than a degree.
Key recommendations
Volunteer – get experience through work placement
schemes or some kind of hands-on experience.
Ideally get a qualification to back it up as well.
Invest in yourself – study and volunteering aren’t cheap but
they are the only way in.
Looking for jobs in this field
environmentjobs.co.uk, zoo websites, BIAZA website, Zoo news digest – an email group
for keepers and other zoo professionals.