Twenty-four hyacinth macaws moved into Zurich Zoo's new indoor refuge

Twenty-four hyacinth macaws and 24 sun conures are living in the finished indoor part of Zurich Zoo's future Pantanal exhibit. Swissinfo reported on November 2, 2026, from a Keystone-SDA dispatch, that the zoo opened the building early so the birds can learn the space. The macaws were bred at the zoo's Ornis conservation center and moved from there. The sun conures are zoo-bred too. Guests cannot see them yet. After the full opening, a glass wall will look into the parrots' shared room. Other parts of the refuge stay off view.

The building also has a waterbird area, with water and a floor meant for foraging, but the birds that have moved in are the macaws and conures. Hyacinth macaws can be a meter long. The zoo said they are threatened in South America, including the Brazilian Pantanal. Sun conures are threatened by habitat loss and illegal capture for trade. The outdoor aviary is still under construction, and a spokesperson told Keystone-SDA that no opening date is set. The news is this indoor move. It is not a release to the wild, and it is not a count of either species outside the zoo.