Tropical Rainforest - A WPA Birdhouse Reborn

Photo: Gregory Varnum, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)

A stop on San Francisco Zoo: Exhibit by Exhibit, a free self-guided tour.

Step inside this 1940 building and the air turns warm and damp. A plaque records that it was built by the Work Projects Administration and the City of San Francisco, and it began life as an aquatic birdhouse. After a major renovation it reopened as the South American Tropical Rainforest and Aviary.

Free-flying birds move through the canopy overhead, and you may see a two-toed sloth hanging among the branches. The building also holds the zoo's first major collection of reptiles and amphibians, with tree frogs, turtles, lizards and snakes. Rainforests cover a small share of the planet but hold a large share of its species.

When you step back outside, take a slow loop through the Prehistoric Garden by the lake. Its gunnera, horsetails, mosses and ferns belong to plant groups that were already ancient when dinosaurs walked the Earth.

Getting here: Continue east past the lake to the WPA-era building at the edge of the Americas region.

Did you know?: A sloth's shaggy fur can host algae, giving it a greenish tint that helps it blend into the treetops.

Photo op: Look up inside: birds perched on branches against the bright roof make the best shots. Skip the flash.

For kids: Hunt for a sloth hanging upside down. Sloths eat, sleep and even give birth while hanging from branches.

Nearby: The Station Cafe, serving pizza, snacks and drinks, is a short walk south by the Little Puffer depot, with restrooms nearby.

More on Wikipedia: Works Progress Administration · Two-toed sloth · Gunnera

Tropical Rainforest - A WPA Birdhouse Reborn

Stops on this tour