Bird park seen as way to boost Branson economy

BRANSON WEST, Mo. -- A new sanctuary will offer a home to more than 120 exotic birds -- and, Stone County officials hope it will line the area's economic nest as well.

Wings of the World Bird Park, which was scheduled to open Saturday, is on the 400-acre site of Talking Rocks Cavern.

The owners, Bruce and Dianna Herschend, lease the land from the Silver Dollar City theme park. Over the years, they have added activities -- including "EarthFest" each April -- for people waiting for cave tours to start.

The EarthFest activities have included a presentation on birds of prey, and that grew into the idea for Wings of the World.

"We had such a wonderful reaction to learning about birds that when we decided we wanted to do something new, we naturally thought of birds," Dianna Herschend said.

But collecting the birds and creating the habitats hasn't been easy.

"There's a huge difference between having a few birds and having 100," she said. "Part of the challenge -- and what makes it so beautiful -- was developing the hillside trails that would be stroller-friendly."

Cindy Morris, president of the Table Rock Lake Area Chamber of Commerce, said Wings of the World is a key piece of an economic expansion that includes Predator World, an 11-acre zoo and aquarium scheduled to open in May.

"We're right in the middle of a transitional growth spurt, and this is really kicking it off," Morris said. "This will help attract families, and that's our big market now."

The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, an agreement signed in 1975 by more than 80 countries, protects most of the species. The birds came from breeders, zoos and private individuals who could no longer keep them, Dianna Herschend said.

"Many birds are quite challenging to keep, and a lot of them live 20, 40, even 80 years," she said. "Like human kids, birds never quite get past the terrible-twos stage where they're into everything and want to explore."

Feeding the birds, which have specialized diets, is another challenge.

"Toucans have to have an extremely low-iron diet," Dianna Herschend said. The birds are fed three times a day. In the morning, they all get fruits and vegetables. Later, they all get pellets. But their favorite is the afternoon portion of nuts and seeds.

"The love seeds, but they're not a health diet by themselves," Herschend said. "So, like kids, we have to make sure they get their fruit and veggies before their dessert."

The bird park also has a 200-seat amphitheater where two shows will be presented daily: one educational, and the other -- "Wings of Magic" -- starring magician, breeder and trainer David Silverman.

"I had birds -- pigeons and doves -- as a child," Silverman said. "After I got into magic, I began to add birds to my act."