Sara Hallager is curator of birds at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, where she leads the strategic planning, implementation, and daily management of the Zoo’s avian programs. Her responsibilities span bird welfare and husbandry, reproductive and conservation programs, exhibition development, and interpretive public engagement across the Zoo’s bird collection. She brings nearly 40 years of experience in avian management within zoological institutions.

Throughout her career, Hallager has held numerous leadership roles within the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) and currently serves as Co-Chair of AZA’s SAFE (Saving Animals From Extinction) North American Songbirds program. She is also an active member of the IUCN Species Survival Commission’s Bustard Specialist Group, serving as secretary, and is a long-standing advocate for ratite, bustard, and native songbird conservation.

Captive management of birds in a zoological setting