Dave Miller knows how to make flamingos dance.

At the National Aviary in Pittsburgh, the daily dance of the pink birds is always a big hit, but audience participation is needed. Mr. Miller also knows how to get children and adults to "honk" and clap to get the dance started.

Mr. Miller, a Chartiers resident, trains and cares for the birds who live in the Wetlands of the Americas exhibit -- one of the most popular because the birds fly free in the wetlands habitat, which is a happy sight for bird-lovers.

Aviary visitors walk along a paved path, while Mr. Miller and other aviary employees discreetly watch birds and people to make sure that everything goes well.

"Limit your movements," he tells visitors, "because the birds are watching you."

His comments come as a group of children, moms and dads assemble at 1 p.m. for the regular afternoon feeding, which is also a kind of educational bird show.

"One of the best things about my job is getting personal with each and every bird in here," Mr. Miller tells the audience. "Every day we have to find every bird in this room to make sure they are healthy. The best way to do that is to call each one."

More than 100 birds live in the aviary wetlands, representing 50 species. Mr. Miller knows all of them, calls them by name and recruits children and adults to help.

While he tells the audience what will happen during the show, birds circle closely over his head because they know what's coming.

Mr. Miller stands next to a food cart that contains live wax worms and meal worms, fruit, sunflower seeds and raw fish that are about the same size as canned sardines.

A young boy named Ian is the first to volunteer to pick up a slimy fish. Following Mr. Miller's instructions, he holds the fish above his head. An Inca tern flies over, gently grabs the fish and flies on without even slowing down.

More hands go up as children and adults volunteer to help with the training and feeding.

A golden conure named Woodstock comes when she is called and perches on a tree branch. She gets a treat for that. Mr. Miller notes that conures are parrots and "parrots are so agile, they can do somersaults on the branch."

Woodstock does her somersault, much to the delight of the audience, and gets a sunflower seed.

"Training helps to keep our birds healthy," Mr. Miller says. He calls Woodstock and gives her a dose of liquid vitamins. "For that, she gets a big treat," he says, giving her a green grape. "All of our training is done through positive reinforcement."

Other birds are weighed -- and rewarded -- during the show to make sure they have not lost or gained weight.

"Have you ever seen flamingos dance?" Mr. Miller asks. Members of the audience leave their seats to follow him to the railing that overlooks the wetlands pond. Five flamingos look up at him expectantly.

"We are going to honk like flamingos to try to make them dance," Mr. Miller says. At first, honks from the people were few and far between and a bit on the timid side. Mr. Miller gets the children and adults to step up the honking, and then he leads them in a round of rhythmic clapping.

The flamingos start by picking their feet up and down. Then, nearly in unison, they spread their wings, wave and end by doing what looks like a group bow to the audience.

The dancing is actually a ritual the birds use to attract mates, explains Erin Estell, manager of community outreach and education. The Aviary flamingos do not breed because flamingos need to be part of a very large flock to breed and reproduce, she says.

The flamingos are rewarded with food from the audience, while a young brown pelican named Ralph looks on. Mr. Miller supplies the kids with fish, which the children throw to Ralph.

"Every experience these birds have with the public makes their life a little more interesting," Mr. Miller says.

He has worked for the Aviary for nearly eight years, and he clearly loves his work.

"I never have a bad day with the animals. Every day I feel fortunate," says Mr. Miller, who attended Robert Morris University and Miami University. "I have a degree in film making. I wanted to make documentary films about animals. I came here to learn more about animals and I never left. As a film maker, I wanted to educate the public about animals. Here, I do that every day."

For information about daily feedings, outdoor shows and other events, see the Aviary Web site at www.aviary.org or call 412-323-7235.