King penguins
England's only breeding group, whose 2026 chick was the first hatched in the UK in twelve years.
Charlie Marshall — CC BY 2.0 · Marion O'Sullivan from Nuneaton, Warwickshire, UK — CC BY 2.0 · Marion O'Sullivan from Nuneaton, Warwickshire, UK — CC BY 2.0 · Marion O'Sullivan from Nuneaton, Warwickshire, UK — CC BY 2.0
Birdland keeps the only breeding group of king penguins in England, and in 2026 a chick hatched here — the first in the UK for twelve years. Nothing about the setting announces that: nine acres of garden and woodland along the River Windrush at the edge of Bourton-on-the-Water, begun as a small bird garden in 1957 and moved to its present Rissington Road site in 1989. Around five hundred birds live in more than fifty aviaries — Humboldt penguins alongside the kings, plus greater flamingos, pelicans, owls, parrots, hornbills and cranes, with ducks and geese wandering freely among visitors and on the water. The penguin feeding time is the spine of a visit, so build your morning around it rather than around anything else. For children there is the Jurassic Journey, a trail of life-size dinosaur models set among the trees, along with play areas and a recently added double zip-line. Be clear about the scale, though: this is a modest park, and ninety minutes to two hours absorbs all of it without hurrying. Anyone wanting a proper zoo should drive to Cotswold Wildlife Park near Burford, which is far larger and more varied. Birdland's real value is its position — five minutes on foot from the village centre, next door to the Model Village and the Dragonfly Maze — so it slots into a family day in Bourton instead of demanding one. An adult visiting alone tends to leave thinking it small for the money. It opens daily at 10:00 and closes at 17:00 all year, with last entry at 16:00, and shuts only on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Paths are level and fine for pushchairs; there is a café on site and a pay-and-display car park a minute away on Rissington Road. Driving is much the easiest way in: half an hour from Cheltenham, ten minutes from Stow-on-the-Wold, an hour from Oxford and roughly two hours from London. The nearest station is Moreton-in-Marsh, about twenty minutes away by car, and a same-day train or bus ticket earns 20% off on production of it.
England's only breeding group, whose 2026 chick was the first hatched in the UK in twelve years.
A woodland trail lined with life-size dinosaur models, which most children remember longer than the birds.
It needs neither a car nor a whole day — it extends a Bourton stroll rather than replacing it.
Rissington Road, Bourton-on-the-Water, Gloucestershire GL54 2BN
Usually not. Cotswold Wildlife Park near Burford is far bigger and more varied, and doing both on one trip is expensive repetition. Two exceptions: children under eight for whom a full day at a large park is too much, or a genuine wish to see the king penguins, which exist nowhere else in England.
No. There is no timed-entry system and you can buy at the gate even in July and August, however crowded the village itself gets. Booking online actually costs a solo visitor 50p more, because the £1.50 charge lands on the transaction rather than the ticket; from two tickets upwards it saves money, and a family of four is about £2.50 better off. Arriving by bus or train beats both — a same-day ticket takes 20% off.
