Built in 1969, and designed and maintained by faculty of the Biology Department, the existing Aviary contains a pond that traverses a steep habitat gradient, arid on the north and mesic on the south. The Aviary contains an eclectic array of plants, and has housed a wide variety of birds, reptiles, and small mammals over the years. It now supports breeding populations of native red shiners (Cyprinella lutrensis), Western box turtles (Terrapene ornata), and zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata), as well as a Western painted turtle (Chrysemys picta) and a mud turtle (Kinosternon sp).

Students are given unique opportunities to learn how to curate and maintain such collections, as well as to study the life histories, habitat requirements, and behaviors of a wide variety of animals they might otherwise never encounter or appreciate.

The Aviary is enjoyed by students and staff from all over the campus, and is visited by over a thousand children from local schools every year.