VISITORS to one of the Cotswolds biggest bird attractions will be able to take part in a range of spooky activities.

Birdland Park & Gardens in Bourton-on-the-Water is prepping for its ‘Shriek Week’ to mark Halloween.

As part of Birdland’s ‘Shriek Week’ celebrations, visitors can discover why owls are considered to be so wise, where the legend of the phoenix came from and which bird call the Romans believed to mean imminent death.

There will also be a family-friendly Pumpkin Trail around the gardens.

Keepers at Birdland are making use of treat-filled pumpkins to provide environmental enrichment to its residents.

Visitors can watch a selection of the Bourton-on-the-Water’s smartest birds demonstrate their foraging skills in a series of daily talks.

Keepers will be hiding a variety of creepy crawlies inside pumpkins to see how different species use their intellect and dexterity to forage for food.

Among avian residents facing the daily pumpkin challenge will be cassowaries, one of the largest birds on the planet, the super-smart Kiwi parrot, the kea, high-brow hornbills, and clever bird of prey, the striated caracara. 

Head Keeper Alistair Keen said: “Environmental enrichment provides stimulation for our birds and encourages them to use natural behaviours to solve challenges.

“By hiding live food such as crickets or locust inside pumpkins, it means the birds have to forage to get to their food. 

“For example, the hornbills will use their powerful beaks to break into the pumpkin to feed, just as they would bash at hollow logs or stumps in the wild looking for grubs and beetles to feed on,” he added.

Birdland features more than 500 birds, ranging from the UK’s only colony of king penguins and parrots to cassowaries and cranes in a mix of free-flying and aviary displays.

On its site it has a combination of woodland, riverside and gardens.