ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Families visiting the Albuquerque BioPark will soon have a new exhibit to check out. 

Just last year, the zoo introduced its Asia exhibit. Now, they’re taking a trip down under to Australia.

Phase 1 of the Australia exhibit includes two immersive free-flight habitats. Meaning, families are able to go into a space surrounded by birds.

“It’s exciting. It’s exciting to be picked and come in. They love feeding the lorikeet so that was a fun experience,” said Emily Headly, one of the first to experience the Australia exhibit. 

The Headley’s were one of the first families to experience the new Australia exhibit at the ABQ BioPark.

“I really liked it, and the birds were flying around, and the girls were having fun,” said Headley. 

It’s not open to the public just yet, but the BioPark says it will be soon.

Phase 1 of the Australia visit includes two free-flight habitats where you can feed the birds, or they can land on you.

“You’ll be able to walk through here and just be immersed and the surroundings of birds around you, and what it would maybe be like to walk out into a park in Australia,” said Ashley Bauer, an ABQ BioPark assistant curator of birds & ambassador animals. 

Bauer explained this particular exhibit has a few different species flying around.

“A couple of varieties of lorikeets including coconut and Rainbow lorikeets and a couple of red lorries. We also have a laughing kookaburra. His name is Fraser, and he’s a lot of fun. And we have two blue faced honeyeaters as well,” said Bauer. 

The other free flight habitat will have little blue penguins and other shorebirds.

The habitats aren’t just a fun, educational experience for families either, Bauer says it’s also beneficial for the animals.

“For the birds, it’s a really good way to engage their minds. Keep them enriched, which is an important aspect of living in a conservation facility like a zoo,” said Bauer. “They do pretty well in the heat, but we do have systems to make sure that they’re happy and healthy. So we have mister systems in here, as well as an air conditioning kind of backspace that they can retreat to.”

Phase 2 of the Australia exhibit will move the current kangaroos the zoo has and add Tasmanian devils and wombats, there’s no timeline for that just yet.

But other things are also in the works at the zoo like it’s Science, Health and Aquatic Research Center, and renovating the zoo entrances.