Come and meet them
Visits are one family at a time, in a quiet home aviary. Too far to travel? Book a video call instead and we will walk around the aviary with the camera.
Who we are
A small aviary with a long love for birds
Bob began keeping and caring for birds in 1998, and they have been part of his life ever since. Every bird we breed from today is one of our own pets — and Kensington Aviary grew out of what happened next.
We are a home-based aviary in Kensington, Maryland, raising hand-fed baby cockatiels for families across Maryland, Washington, D.C., and Northern Virginia.
How Kensington Aviary began
We did not set out to run an aviary. From 2022 we brought birds home one at a time, simply as pets. Over the following years the flock quietly grew — and so did the number of babies.
That is still true today: our breeding birds are our pets first. They live with us, they are not production stock, and the babies are raised in the middle of a household rather than in a separate breeding facility.
As a small, home-based aviary, we believe each bird deserves more individual attention and care than a large-scale operation can typically provide. Rather than trying to keep every baby ourselves, Bob decided to help them find loving, permanent homes where they can become part of a family. That simple idea became the foundation of Kensington Aviary in 2025.
Raised by hand, prepared for family life
We want the move from our home to yours to be as easy as possible. Bob personally hand-feeds every baby cockatiel we raise and spends extensive time handling and socializing them while they are young.
Our goal is not simply to raise beautiful birds. We want our cockatiels to leave us comfortable with human interaction, familiar with everyday handling, and ready to begin building a relationship with their new owners. Being a small home-based aviary lets us stay closely involved with every baby throughout that process.
Health testing is part of how we raise our birds
Health is one of our highest priorities. Every cockatiel is individually tested through Animal Genetics, a professional avian DNA and disease-testing laboratory, and we carry out environmental pathogen testing every two weeks to monitor the aviary itself.
For us, laboratory testing is not an occasional extra — it is part of our routine approach to raising healthy companion cockatiels.
What we promise every family
Kensington Aviary is intentionally small. That allows us to focus on what matters most: the health, temperament, socialization, and individual care of the birds we raise — and we put the same care into every baby, whichever family they are going home to.
Our promise is simple
Give each bird the best possible start — and help them become a healthy, confident, loving feathered companion for their new family.
Raised with individual careHandled & socialized dailyHealth screening documented
Looking for a particular baby?
If you do not see a bird that matches what you have in mind, tell us the sex, mutation, and timing you are hoping for and we will get in touch when one becomes available.