Construction for Sylvan Heights Bird Park’s newest experience will begin on June 7th, 2025.
This summer, Sylvan Heights Bird Park will begin construction on Penguin Point, a large new exhibit that will bring penguins to eastern North Carolina for the first time. Once complete, Penguin Point will immerse park visitors in the world of the charismatic African penguin, exhibited in natural habitats alongside endangered waterfowl and other aquatic bird species.
A groundbreaking ceremony for Penguin Point will be held on June 7, 2025 at 1:00 p.m. at Sylvan Heights Bird Park. Sylvan Heights Bird Park invites members, supporters, press, and the public to attend the ceremony. View event
Phase I: Preparing for Penguins
The Penguin Point project marks one of Sylvan Heights’ largest expansions since the park opened in 2006, and it will be constructed in two phases. Plans for Phase I include the installation of a penguin habitat and viewing area, a penguin dive pool, and partial completion of behind-the-scenes holding areas and maintenance buildings necessary for penguin care. Phase I is expected to open to the public in summer of 2026, and will offer park guests new opportunities to view and interact with the penguins while learning from park educators and bird keepers.
Phase II: Water is Life
Phase II will expand the Penguin Point exhibit to provide natural habitats designed specifically for endangered waterfowl, shorebirds, and other water-dependent species. Phase II will also add an educational theme called “Water is Life”, which highlights the importance of water conservation for these species, and how water cycles connect all life on Earth. Maintenance buildings and other structural components will be finalized during this phase, and a behind-the-scenes educational penguin encounter will be made available to the public upon completion of Phase II.
About the Penguins
The African Penguin (Spheniscus demersus) is a critically endangered species native to the waters, islands, and coastlines of southern Africa. They are also known as Cape Penguins, Black-footed Penguins, or Jackass Penguins after their loud, braying vocalizations. African Penguins feed on fish in southern Africa’s rich coastal waters, and regularly dive to depths of 80 feet or more while hunting. They spend most of their lives in the sea, coming ashore only to breed and raise chicks. Like other penguins, African Penguins breed in colonies, with pairs returning to the same nesting site every year. They are strongly monogamous, and typically form lifelong pair bonds. As African Penguins are naturally adapted to warmer, temperate climates, they are ideally suited for an outdoor exhibit at Sylvan Heights Bird Park.
Global Impacts
Wild populations of African Penguins have experienced a 95% loss over the past 200 years, including a rapidly accelerating decline in the past 30 years. From an estimated 4 million birds at the beginning of the 19th century, there are now fewer than 10,000 breeding pairs in the wild. Pollution, competition from commercial fishing operations, and changes in fish populations have greatly impacted the penguins’ survival and breeding success in recent years.
Sylvan Heights Bird Park is committed to making a positive contribution to the survival of the African Penguin by:
1.) collaborating with other conservation and research institutions in ways that benefit the species in captivity and in the wild;
2.) providing the highest quality of life to the penguins in our care, and;
3.) teaching the public about the global and local importance of clean water, habitat conservation, and biodiversity.
Local Impacts
Sylvan Heights Bird Park draws more than 62,000 visitors each year to the small community of Scotland Neck, North Carolina, including thousands of K-12th grade students. The exhibit will serve local schools by providing additional opportunities for science education programming at Sylvan Heights Bird Park. The addition of Penguin Point is also expected to increase park visitation, providing a boost for local restaurants, shops, hotels, and other businesses.
Donations are still needed to raise the remaining funds to complete Phase II of this exhibit. If you would like to contribute to this project, please consider making a tax-deductible donation today.
Sylvan Heights Bird Park is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.
Penguin Point Sponsors:
