As Director of Avian Care and Conservation, Cody Hickman oversees the management of birds at Brookfield Zoo Chicago through animal care, staff leadership, and day-to-day habitat operations. Hickman also leads avian conservation program development, supporting the Zoo’s decades-long commitment to passerine population sustainability and innovation.

For nearly 15 years, Hickman has made an impact on both guests and birds — as well as a variety of other animals — at Brookfield Zoo Chicago and beyond. His expertise in avian husbandry and breeding programs, from hand-rearing to flock management, has resulted in births and new opportunities. He leads development of immersive guest experiences, strengthening their connection to birds such as flamingos, which he brought back to the Zoo after nearly three decades. He also plays an important role in the Zoo’s participation in U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Sihek Recovery Program, helping raise sihek birds to be reintroduced into the wild. And recently, he supported the opening of the North American Prairie Aviary at the Zoo, a space for native birds like the greater prairie chicken. Previous to Brookfield Zoo Chicago, he worked with birds at Tulsa Zoo in Oklahoma.

Hickman is passionate about connecting animal care, research, partnerships, and guest experiences to improve species outcomes and spark conservation action. He engages in collaborative approaches to conservation as the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Species Survival Plans (SSPs) manager for silver-beaked tanagers and snow owls, and he is a committee chair and financial committee chair for the Avian Scientific Advisory Group. He has a bachelor’s degree in Biology and an associate degree in Business Administration from Northeastern State University.