In 1981, founders Mike and Ali Lubbock moved to the United States from England, bringing extensive waterfowl knowledge with them.  They founded Sylvan Heights Waterfowl in the mountain town of Sylva, North Carolina, and began breeding rare waterfowl from around the world.

Sylvan Heights Bird Park seeks to advance conservation of waterfowl and wetlands, to act as a local educational resource for avian biology and wetlands ecology, and to serve as an international center for avicultural training and research.