Blue Crab & Aviary

Blue Crab Corner

For centuries, the blue crab (Callinectes sapidus) has been woven into the cultural, economic and culinary fabric of the Chesapeake Bay. The Virginia Aquarium wants its guests to learn about the natural history of the blue crab, to appreciate its integration into local culture and economy, and understand the necessity of proper management of this precious resource. The Virginia Aquarium’s unique location near the Chesapeake Bay allows us to be experts in the Bay’s ecology. 
Located in the Aquarium’s Marsh Pavilion, Blue Crab Corner is a twelve-foot-high dock structure and associated four-foot diameter, eight-foot-high cylindrical aquarium holding 750 gallons of crab habitat. Get a crab’s-eye view below water through the cylinder’s walls or from within a crab pot inside the exhibit.

Aviary

Located behind the Marsh Pavilion on Owls Creek, the Virginia Aquarium’s Aviary is a fascinating collection of over 70 unique birds representing 30 different species.  Wading birds, waterfowl and even a wild turkey make their home in this half-acre habitat.  As you walk the nature trail, you may see many of Owls Creek’s wild winged inhabitants, and you’ll be able to get a closer look at them in the Aviary.
A Great Horned Owl, Turkey Vultures, Great Blue Herons, Brown Pelicans, Fulvous Whistling Ducks, Great Egrets, and Ruddy Ducks are just a few of the birds the Virginia Aquarium’s Aviary houses. The Aviary is home to many rehabilitated birds that could not be released back into the wild.  Here the birds are cared for in a safe environment that mimics their natural habitat.  Every day at 2:30 p.m. it’s feeding time in the Aviary, so guests can witness the different ways each bird feeds, as well as what types of food they eat.