As a former Miami resident, I have been eager to see the new Parrot Jungle in its new location. It used to be a welcoming park that Miami families would frequent to see parrots in their beautiful glory and to revel in their many talents. We used to always take our out-of-town friends to see this unique attraction.

The new Parrot Jungle offers more diversity beyond parrots and caters to one-time tourists. It is closer to a zoo than a true bird park as it also displays more monkeys, a petting zoo and reptiles. Parrot lovers will not be disappointed by the opportunity to see a wide variety of parrots, both up close and in cages. The birds now live in larger cages and with better signage than in the old park. However, I was sad to see that former 'stars' such as Pinky had no accompanying biography that would allow former patrons or new friends to recognize or give them their due respect. The park would also do well to improve their description of all the birds, sharing their names, ages, and possibly even maps of their native habitats.

Unfortunately, anyone who saw the old show, will miss the impressive display of intelligence where parrots would play poker, roller skate, play the shell game and fly to the moon. The present show surprises viewers with rarely seen exotic birds trained to go from one place to another on command. Parrots are no longer the highlight of the show. Parrot Jungle now also offers two additional shows, one highlighting reptiles and another for exotic animals.

It is clear that the new attraction was built to target cruise ship passengers and thrill seekers, not parrot lovers and Miami residents. It may explain why the Parrot Jungle theater which used to fill up in the old location, had only a handful of audience members on the beautiful, sunny day in December when we went. By trying to do too much, Parrot Jungle satisfies neither the zoo enthusiasts or the parrot aficionados. The education families receive is shallow and not as in-depth as before.

If Parrot Jungle focuses once again on its parrots, its most unique attribute, it may recoup the success of the original Parrot Jungle (especially given its name!). The unique aspect of a parrot park could justify the high ticket prices and once again attract the Miami residents with annual passes who would quickly turn around its attendance problems through word-of-mouth.

I was a little leery based on reviews here. Our entire trip was based on seeing Parrot Jungle, so we had very high expectations. We own 6 parrots. We opted for the summer season pass only 2 dollars more(about 38 each) and we'd be able to go back if we enjoyed our first day. July turned out to be a great time to go, while we were having record highs close to 100 back home, it was only 90 in Miami. Not many others brave July in Miami so PJ was not crowded. We ABSOLUTELY loved it. Have no worries if you are a bird lover. There are dozens of birds sitting on perches without cages. You are allowed to feed them parrot food. You can hold some while you pose for a picture (no obligation to purchase). The shows were short but fun. There is also the world's biggest croc and the only trained casawary(world's most lethal bird) in the world. We went back on a different day to play with a baby chimp and tiger. For less than 300 dollars 2 people spend about 30 mins with these adorable babies and you also get a CD of pix they take.They promise 100, we got 180.It was a once in a lifetime experience. I'll try to figure out how to post some pix. If you aren't into birds I can see how you may find it a little pricey. It should take about 3 hours to see all the exhibits, but you'll need more time to see the shows.

First, if you plan to visit Parrot Jungle Island, be prepared for the cost- $25 per adult.
They have three animal attraction shows. The Parrot/Bird show is pretty good. Not so sure the Cockatoo enjoys riding the bicycle, but he didn't seem miserable, so maybe that isn't so bad. The reptile show is a little short/lame, they bring out a tiny and medium sized snapping turtles, a few snakes, and baby alligators and crocodiles. The biggest show (I can't remember what they call that one) was sort of creepy. Staff seems way too young and unqualified, and they cross the line of animal exploitation. After the show they offer you the "spectacular opportunity" of paying $40 to have your picture taken with baby animals (monkeys and/or tiger), and for an undisclosed amount (at least several hundred dollars) you can spend 1 hr with the babies. The animals are very cute, and it may seem like a great opportunity on one hand, but being passed around by strangers is not something that's in the best interest of the animals. It's disturbing. I don't know what kind of licensing or accreditation they have, but I doubt that any animal rights groups will be showering them with praise or approval anytime soon.