Birds: Brilliant and Bizarre

This exhibtion has now closed.

24 May 2024 - 5 January 2025. Entry from 10.00-16.30 daily

Adult off-peak tickets from £14.50, peak tickets from £16.50. See ticket prices and visit information

Waterhouse Gallery, South Kensington, London. Download a map (278KB)

This exhibition has now closed. It ran from 24 May 2024 - 5 January 2025.

Birds are the soundtrack to our mornings, they soar through our skies and swoop around our streets, but how well do we really know our feathered friends?

A hoot for all the family, our exhibition invites you into their world like never before! Swirl around with a murmuration, chirp along with the dawn chorus and see if you have the stomach to sniff a stinky seabird egg. From feeling their heartbeats to seeing through their eyes, get to know our beaked buddies better.

Meet the oldest modern bird in the world the so-called wonderchicken, find out what a pigeon has in common with a ferocious T. rex and discover how these winged wonders managed to survive the mass extinction that wiped out all the other dinosaurs.

Today there’s more than 11,000 species. From pigeons to penguins, ostriches to ospreys, birds live on every single continent on Earth, so what’s the secret to their success? From sucking blood to bathing in acid, our feathered friends have found surprising, clever and downright freaky ways to survive.

But the way we live our lives is beginning to affect how they live theirs. As the effects of a changing world come home to roost, can we find a way to take them under our wing and create a future where they can soar once more?

Free for members

Become a member to get unlimited free entry to Birds: Brilliant and Bizarre, as well as exclusive viewing hours, talks from our scientists, family mornings and great discounts. Plus, you'll get to skip all the queues!

Family membership from £6 a month.

Exhibition supported by Associate Donor

In affiliation with

Find out more

It’s a really, really, really, really, really good, 10-out-of-10 exhibition!

Seagull Boy

A beautifully put together journey through the story of our avian pals

★★★★ - Time Out

Ticket prices, accessibility and visiting information

Peak ticket prices

Weekends, school holidays and bank holidays.

Adult (17-59): £16.50
Child (4-16): £9.95
Family (1 Adult 2 Children): £29
Family (1 Adult 3 Children): £36.95
Family (2 Adults 1 Child): £34.25
Family (2 Adults 2 Children): £42.25
Family (2 Adults 3 Children): £50.25
Concession: £13.20
Disabled Adult: £13.20
Disabled Child: £7.95
Disabled Person Companion: free
RSPB Member Adult: £13.20
RSPB Member Child: £7.95
Art Fund adult (16-59): £8.25
Art Fund concession: £6.50
School child: £4.00

Concession includes: Student, Senior 60+, Teacher, Disabled adult and Jobseekers

Off-peak ticket prices

Monday to Friday, excluding school holidays and bank holidays.

Adult (17-59): £14.50
Child (4-16): £8.50
Family (1 Adult 2 Children): £25.50
Family (1 Adult 3 Children): £32.50
Family (2 Adults 1 Child): £30.25
Family (2 Adults 2 Children): £37.00
Family (2 Adults 3 Children): £44.00
Concession: £11.50
Disabled Adult: £11.50
Disabled Child:£6.95
Disabled Person Companion: free
RSPB Member Adult: £11.50
RSPB Member Child: £6.95
Art Fund adult (16-59): £7.25
Art Fund concession: £5.95
School child: £4.00

Accessibility

We aim to provide the widest possible access to our Birds: Brilliant and Bizarre exhibition, including:

a large print gallery guide (PDF 563KB)
seating
various touch objects including a titanosaur egg cast, ancient tree pollen and a selection of bird beaks
two smell specimens
interactive touchscreen games

For more information, visit Access at South Kensington.

Visitor information

Tickets include Museum entry after you've visited the exhibition.

Please book the correct date, as your ticket can't be refunded or exchanged.

Visitors tend to spend around 40 minutes to one hour in the exhibition.

The content is aimed at those aged eight and over, but all ages are welcome.

Museum Members, Patrons and Corporate Supporters do not need to book and can visit the exhibition for free.

RSPB Members must bring their RSPB Membership card or, if they have not received a card yet, a confirmation email as proof of membership.

Reciprocal free admission for partner organisations, Museums Association and NMDC members is available Monday to Friday on a first come, first serve basis. You may need to wait during busy times.