What does aviary mean?
Word: Aviary
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Aviary means a large cage or building in which birds are kept.
Word origin: From Latin aviarium, taken into English in the 1500s.
How do you spell aviary?
Syllables: a - vi - ary
Tricky part: The i after the v is said so lightly that students drop it and write avary, or move it and write avairy.
Watch out for: avary, avairy, avyary
Memory tip: Link it with aviator and aviation: all three open with the same three letters, and the i is the one students lose.
Aviary in a sentence
Example 1: The zoo's new aviary has a stream and a row of fig trees inside.
Example 2: Rohan's uncle built a small aviary for his budgerigars on the terrace.
Example 3: We heard the mynas chattering long before we reached the aviary.
Fun Fact
Some aviaries are built so that people can walk inside among free-flying birds; Bird Paradise in Singapore is well known for them.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Champ
Choose the correct option to make a meaningful word:
avi____
a) ary
b) ory
c) ury
d) ery
Show answer
a) ary. It takes the same ending as granary and sanctuary.
Word Puzzle
Match each word with what is kept there:
1. aviary 2. apiary 3. aquarium a. fish b. birds c. bees
a) 1-b, 2-c, 3-a
b) 1-b, 2-a, 3-c
c) 1-c, 2-a, 3-b
d) 1-a, 2-c, 3-b
Show answer
a) 1-b, 2-c, 3-a. Birds live in an aviary, bees in an apiary and fish in an aquarium.
Word Tally
Give 2 marks for each correctly spelt word. How many marks does this list earn?
aviary, pelican, flamingoe, ostrich, peacok
a) 4
b) 2
c) 8
d) 6
Show answer
d) 6. Flamingo has no e and peacock needs its c, so three words are right, and 3 x 2 = 6.
Jumble Tumble
Choose the correct sequence of the jumbled letters to form a meaningful word:
vyaira 123456
a) 514362
b) 314652
c) 416352
d) 514623
Show answer
b) 314652. A vowel opens and the y closes, and the y is letter 2 here, so the right order ends in 2.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. What makes an aviary better than a small cage for a pair of parakeets?
a) they are kept away from all light
b) they never need to be fed
c) they have room to fly about
d) they can swim in deep water
Show answer
c) they have room to fly about
2. Which of these would you expect to see inside an aviary?
a) perches and nesting boxes
b) hive frames and honeycomb
c) water tanks and coral
d) saddles and stalls
Show answer
a) perches and nesting boxes
