If you haven't seen the Andean condor chick at the National Aviary yet, time is running out. She's getting ready to be shipped to Colombia, South America, where she will be released into the wild.

Her name is Kachina, and she'll be the guest of honor at a farewell party at her North Side home on Saturday, March 15. Special activities are scheduled from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. There will be a cake, face painting, condor craft activities and a presentation on Andean condors.

Kachina was bred at the national aviary and she hatched last June 28. Last fall more than 1,000 children participated in a naming contest, which was won by Karli Sutton of Grove City.

Kachina will leave Pittsburgh in late March, going first to a facility in Florida where she will meet an Andean condor chick from the Denver Zoo. The two will be released in Colombia in 2009 as part of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums Species Survival Plan.

The Andean condor is "near threatened" in the wild.

One of the largest birds of prey in the world, adults weight 20 pounds and have 10-foot wing spans. They live in the high mountain ranges and grasslands throughout the Andes Mountains, from Colombia to Argentina. Pairs usually lay only one egg every two years.

The wild populations are declining due to hunting, lead poisoning from shot left in carcasses scavenged by condors and from collisions with high tension wires and aircraft.

Aviary admission is $9 for adults, $8 for seniors, $7.50 for children 2 and older. The facility is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. For further information go to www.aviary.org or call 412-323-7235. cq.

There are other bird events coming up this month.

Admission is free on Thursday, March 20, when the National Aviary celebrates Won't You Be My Neighbor? Days, which is a community celebration of the life and legacy of Fred Rogers.

Visitors to the aviary's Little Peepers story time at 11 a.m. will hear readings from Mister Rogers' books. Middle school students from the Western Pennsylvania School for the Deaf will sign the stories.

X the owl, named for a character on the TV series, Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, will appear during story time and throughout the day. X is an Eurasian Eagle Owl, the largest species of owl in the world.

Saturday, March 22 is Egg Day at the National Aviary. There will be a 10:15 a.m. egg hunt with prizes, crafts, face painting and candy treats.