Custom Backyard Aviaries, Built On-Site
Walk-in aviaries for parrots, doves, pigeons and mixed flocks — escape-proof on the inside, predator-proof on the outside. Site-built in Arizona, Maryland, Pennsylvania & North Carolina.
An Aviary Is a Catio for Birds
A catio has to hold a climbing, squeezing escape artist in, and keep coyotes, raccoons and hawks out. An aviary is the same double-sided problem with feathers — plus two twists that catch kit buyers by surprise.
Twist one: the mesh does two jobs. Apertures must be tight enough that your birds can't slip out or be gripped through the wire by a raccoon or hawk, while the gauge stands up to beaks on the inside and predators on the outside. Parrot aviaries need chew-grade mesh; dove aviaries need grip-proof tightness.
Twist two: rodent exclusion is the whole game. Seed on the ground turns a pretty aviary into a rodent feeding station, and rodents bring snakes and raccoons. We build with tight exclusion mesh at ground level (half-inch for rats and snakes, finer where mice press), sealed or skirted perimeters, and feed-smart layouts — the unglamorous engineering that keeps an aviary healthy in year three.
Walk-In Aviaries
Every Monument aviary is a walk-in aviary: head-high clearance, a human-sized door with a safety vestibule where the design calls for it, and interior layouts you can clean and re-perch without crawling. That's what makes an aviary a place you spend time in with your birds rather than a box you service from outside.
Because we site-build, the aviary fits your yard instead of the other way around — along a wall, off the back of the house, wrapped around a tree — and the framing, stain and roofline match your home. Water, misting lines and electrical for heated perches or lighting can be built in from day one.
Designed for Your Species
The reason custom beats kit isn't luxury — it's that a dove and a macaw need different buildings.
Parrots & hookbills
Chew-grade mesh and hardware, climbing structure, chew-safe framing details, and shaded flight space. Heated-perch and indoor-connection options for cold snaps.
Doves & pigeons
Long horizontal flight lines, calm sightlines, nest-box walls and grip-proof tight mesh. Loft-style layouts for fanciers who fly their birds.
Mixed flocks
Species-safe zoning, separated feeding stations, and flight paths that keep the peace — designed around the flock you have and the one you're planning.
Climate is designed in, not bolted on: in Arizona, deep shade, misting and airflow make year-round outdoor keeping realistic from Phoenix to Tucson; in Maryland, Pennsylvania and North Carolina — from Baltimore rowhouse yards to Charlotte suburbs — sheltered draft-free sections and heated connections carry hardy flocks through winter.
Curious what an aviary would look like in your yard?
Get my free aviary designThe Anatomy of a Monument Aviary
Every outdoor bird enclosure we design is different; the working parts are consistent. This is what you're specifying when we design together.
Safety vestibule
A double-door entry so a startled bird meets a second closed door instead of open sky. On smaller aviaries, a spring-closing door and entry protocol do the same job — decided by species and layout.
Zoned interior
Flight space kept clear of clutter, perching at varied heights and diameters, sheltered corners out of wind and sightlines, and nest or roost boxes where the species wants them.
Serviceable by humans
Feeding stations reachable without crossing the whole flight, floors designed for actual cleaning — pavers, washed gravel or sealed surfaces — and hose- and drain-friendly layouts.
Weather sections
Part of every roof is solid, part is mesh — birds choose sun, shade or shelter hour by hour. Wind direction and afternoon sun decide which walls get solid panels.
Utilities, roughed in
Misting lines for Arizona summers, electrical for heated perches or lighting back east, water nearby for cleaning — cheapest on day one, painful to retrofit.
The exclusion layer
Tight exclusion mesh at ground level, sealed or skirted perimeter, and covered roof — the rodent-and-predator system described above, standard on every build.
Where an Aviary Belongs in Your Yard
Placement decides half the aviary's success. We look for morning sun with afternoon shade options, protection from prevailing wind, drainage away from the structure, and sightlines that let the birds watch the yard without being ambushed by it — overhanging branches that give hawks a perch or cats a route onto the roof are the classic mistake.
Neighbors matter too: doves are quiet, parrots are not, and a thoughtful position — plus solid panels on the property-line side — keeps the flock a delight instead of a dispute. If an HOA or city rule applies to accessory structures in your area, we fold it into the design the same way we do for every build.
Site-Built vs. Shipped Prefab
Search for an aviary for sale — or a walk-in flight cage — and you'll find kit shippers: panels in a crate, freight to your curb, good luck. A custom aviary builder working in your yard is a different product entirely.
| Shipped prefab kit | Monument site-built aviary | |
|---|---|---|
| Fit | Fixed shapes; your yard adapts to the kit | Designed to your yard, slope, trees and house lines |
| Mesh & framing | Lightest materials that survive shipping | Species-spec mesh on framed structural lumber |
| Rodents & predators | Rarely addressed at all | Exclusion mesh, dig guards, covered roof — standard |
| Weather | One design for every climate | Shade-engineered for AZ; winter-sheltered for MD/PA/NC |
| Accountability | A return window | A licensed builder — AZ ROC #364641, MD MHIC #167535-02, PA HIC #PA214722 — and one contract |
What a Custom Aviary Costs, and How It Works
Every aviary is quoted from its own design — pretending a flat price sheet could cover a dove loft and a macaw flight would just make for a worse quote. What never changes: the price is fixed and in writing before we build, the exclusion engineering is baked into the base spec, and deposits follow your state's home improvement laws.
The process is the same four steps as every Monument build: free consultation (species, flock size, yard photos) → custom design and fixed quote → permits and HOA handled where needed → site-built by our crew, usually within days, with a full walkthrough of doors, latches and feeding stations.
Free consultation, custom design, fixed written quote — zero pressure.
Get my free aviary quoteWhat Monument Clients Say
Real five-star reviews from our Google Business Profile — from catio clients and the covered dog pen we built to keep little Yorkies safe in coyote country. Same crews, same predator-proof standard, brought to your build.
"We've actually had a coyote jump over our block wall into the backyard, and we've even had an owl sitting on our patio cover — so we knew we needed something more secure than a typical dog run. They designed a safe, secure, covered dog pen… built on-site by skilled carpenters using high-quality materials. It gives us peace of mind knowing our little Yorkies are protected."
Ruth M. — Google review
"If you want a catio built, hire this company. They did a fantastic job. The entire crew was professional, organized, and kept the workspace super clean. Their communication was next-level… The final result is amazing and my cat is already obsessed with it. Five stars!"
Jeff M. — Google review
"Monument Catios will get you right the first time, my fur babies have never been happier and it's SO nice only connecting with a single contact for a project."
Olivia C. — Google review
"We asked them to design a custom cat shelf system that would allow our cats to make their way around the living room without ever having to touch the floor, and they really took the time to get it right… Our cats absolutely love it. I would absolutely recommend Monument Catios."
Brian M. — Google review
"We hired Monument Catios to give our two kitties a forever playground from kitchen through dining and living room walls. We've had tons of compliments already… Thomas and Luz were wonderful, accessible, and very open to changes. Our kitties couldn't be happier!"
Elizabeth D. — Google review
"I have a smaller space in Scottsdale and honestly wasn't sure a cat wall would even be possible. Monument Catios proved me completely wrong… My cats are obsessed! If you're on the fence because of limited square footage, don't be — these guys will figure it out."
Elizabeth L. — Google review
"I had seen a bunch of cat walls on TikTok and wanted to add one for my cat Stormi, but just had no idea how and couldn't find anyone to help. I then found the team at Monument Catios and it's been such an amazing experience planning and designing a set up for my chonk!"
Jenny A. — Google review
"I got in touch with Monument Catios to design an enclosure for my parents' two cats at their house, and it's been a great experience. The team have been super responsive, transparent, and are clearly cat lovers."
Marc G. — Google review
"The team is extremely kind, caring and responsive. I've had a great experience speaking with them, I would highly recommend to my other friends."
Abigail M. — Google review
Verbatim excerpts from public reviews on our Google Business Profile.
Aviary Questions, Answered
How much does a custom aviary cost?
Every Monument aviary is quoted from its design — size, mesh specification, roofing, species needs and site conditions all move the number honestly. You get a fixed, itemized written price after a free design consultation, with predator-proofing and rodent exclusion as standard rather than upgrades.
Who builds custom aviaries near me?
If you're in Arizona (Phoenix, Scottsdale, Tucson), Maryland (Baltimore, Frederick, the DC suburbs), Pennsylvania (Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Harrisburg) or North Carolina (Charlotte, Raleigh, Asheville) — Monument Catios does. Most aviaries for sale in the US are shipped prefab kits; we're a licensed builder (AZ ROC #364641, MD MHIC #167535-02, PA HIC #PA214722) whose crew designs and constructs walk-in aviaries on site, matched to your home and built around your birds.
What mesh does a bird aviary need?
Two jobs at once: apertures small and rigid enough that your birds can't get out or get gripped through the wire, and strength that raccoons, hawks and rats can't beat. That usually means tight-aperture galvanized or stainless mesh — heavier for parrots, whose beaks test everything — with half-inch exclusion at rodent-vulnerable points. We spec the mesh to the species during design.
Can birds live outdoors year-round in an aviary?
In much of Arizona, yes — with deep shade, ventilation and wind protection, year-round outdoor keeping is one of Arizona's best perks for bird owners. In Maryland, Pennsylvania and North Carolina, hardy species overwinter outdoors with draft-free sheltered sections, while tropical birds need a heated indoor connection or seasonal indoor housing. We design the aviary around your species and your winters.
How do you keep rodents and predators away from an aviary?
Rodent exclusion is the detail that separates real aviaries from big cages: seed attracts mice and rats, which attract snakes and raccoons. We build with half-inch mesh at ground level for rats and snakes — stepped down to quarter-inch where mouse pressure demands it — plus sealed floors or buried perimeter barriers, feed-smart layouts, and the same dig guards and covered-roof rules as our catios — so nothing tunnels in, reaches through, or waits on the roof.
Do doves and pigeons need a different aviary than parrots?
Yes — different flight patterns, different perch and nest-box layouts, different mesh. Doves and pigeons want horizontal flight room and calm sightlines; parrots want climbing structure, chew-proof materials and heavier mesh; mixed flocks need species-safe separation. That's the advantage of custom design over a one-shape-fits-all kit.
How big should a walk-in aviary be?
Big enough for real flight: as a floor, small songbirds and doves want at least 6 to 8 feet of unobstructed flight length, and larger birds want more — width and height matter less than one clear horizontal run. Walk-in means 6+ feet of head height for you. Beyond minimums, flock size and species set the number, and yard space usually decides the ceiling; we design the largest honest flight path your site allows.
Do I need a permit for a backyard aviary?
Sometimes — larger aviaries can count as accessory structures under city or county rules, and HOAs often want elevations and materials. It varies by jurisdiction, so we check your address during design and handle the paperwork where it applies; that's part of what hiring a licensed builder is for.
Let's Design Your Aviary
Tell us about your birds and your yard. You'll get a custom design and a fixed written price — no pressure, no obligation.
- Species-first custom design
- Fixed written price and timeline
- Predator-proofing & rodent exclusion standard
- Licensed & insured, one contract
AZ ROC #364641 · MD MHIC #167535-02 · PA HIC #PA214722