HARI is located in Rigaud, Quebec, and was established in 1985 to study the captive breeding and maintenance of companion birds. HARI now houses over 250 pairs of more than 30 various parrot species.

The research fields include disease control, pair bonding, nutrition and the influence of temperature, humidity and light cycles on breeding. Progress has been rapid in the area of feeding research at HARI.

During the course of its operations, the facility achieved a significant milestone in that all of its avian denizens are offspring of breeding pairs that have been kept back from previous generations, ensuring continued aviculture at HARI as well as demonstrating that the science of breeding birds in captivity has made significant progress. HARI is now genetically self-sustaining for several generations into the future. With parrots living for many decades, this will go on well into the future.