Birds

African Pygmy Goose (Nettapus auritus)

Zoo collection includes: One male African Pygmy Goose

Found in the wild: These aquatic birds are actually ducks, not geese. They primarily live in the swamps, marshes, and ponds of tropical Africa and the island of Madagascar.

See Them at the Central Park Zoo: They live in the Tropical Rain Forest. You will find these geese in the stream when you first enter the Tropic building, just inside the door. Look down.

Description: Length: Up to 11-12 inches. Weight: Male 285g, Female 260g. As tends to be the case with birds, the male is larger than the female and is more colorful. He has green ear patches and metallic green on his back. His head is a colorful turquoise and white. The female is much darker- usually a brown or gray.

What do they eat: They feed on aquatic plants and aquatic insects and their larvae. At the Central Park Zoo, these birds are fed avian pellets, seeds, and vitamin E.

Life span: 10-15 years in captivity.

Threats: Thought to be relatively common in the 1970s, this bird is now abundant only in isolated patches. Due to habitat destruction, this species is on the decline and may soon become extinct.

Fun Facts: Both male and female ducks have claws on their feet, which is useful since they perch and make their nests in trees. They are sexually mature at two years. They can have 6 to 12 offspring.

Bali Mynah (Leucopsar rothschildi)

Zoo collection includes: A pair of Bali Mynahs (male and female)

Found in the wild: Bali. In fact, the only bird native to Bali.

See Them at the Central Park Zoo: They live in the Tropical Rain Forest

Description: They are about nine inches long. They are almost entirely white except for the black tips on the wings and the blue mask-like coloring over their eyes. The feet and legs are a blue-gray as is the beak. The pairs stay together in the Zoo.

What do they eat: Insects and fruits.

Life span: Unknown in wild, up to 25 years in zoos

Threats: These birds are critically endangered- there are only about 14 left in the wild today. Major threats to the Bali mynahs are the pet trade, lumbering, and poaching.

Fun Facts: Scientists discovered the Bali mynah, or Bali starling, in1912. Its species name comes from Lord Rothschild, a British ornithologist who financed the collecting of this species. The Bali mynah is an important national symbol and has been adopted as the island of Bali's official bird. Also called the Bali starling, is found in one small region of Bali, an island that is smaller than the size of Rhode Island.

Blue-gray Tanager (Thraupis episcopus)

Zoo collection includes: Two Blue-gray Tanagers

Found in the wild: Lives in semiopen habitats from southern Mexico to central South America.

See Them at the Central Park Zoo: They live in the Tropical Rain Forest

Description: The blue-gray tanager is a small bird, weighing between 30 - 40 grams and measuring six inches, including its two-inch-long tail. The head, throat and under parts are a pale gray with a greenish-blue tinge. The tail and wings are a bright blue and its back is a darker blue. While both sexes are similar in appearance, the color of the female is generally duller and grayer than that of the male.

What do they eat: Insects and fruit

Threats: Adult blue-gray tanagers are preyed upon by felines, snakes, birds of prey and crocodilians. Other predators, such as raccoons, eat young birds and eggs. Habitat destruction due to deforestation is the primary threat to this species.

Fun Facts: There are over two hundred species of colorful tanagers found from Canada all the way to central Argentina. It spends much of its time on the ground searching for small fruits and insects.

Emerald Starling (Lamprotornis iris )

Zoo collection includes: Three Emerald Starlings

Found in the wild: Guinea, Sierra Leone and Ivory Coast in the open savanna and woodlands

See Them at the Central Park Zoo: In the tropical rain forest

Description: Emerald Starlings are bright emerald green with purple ear-coverts, neck patch, and belly.  The eyes are dark.  Like other starlings, they species have a strong narrow beak, and strong legs and feet for perching.  They are 7-7.5 inches long.  Juveniles are brown below and mixed brown-green above, with green wings.

What do they eat: In the wild, they eat small fruits, seeds, and insects.  At Central Park Zoo, the starlings eat soft-billed bird diet, small bird maintenance, chopped fruits and vegetables, and meal worms

Life span: They can live up to 14 years in captivity.

Threats: Although this species has a limited range, it is not thought to be endangered.

Fun Facts: The emerald starling uses its strong beak to probe for insects and seeds in soil and heavy vegetation. In the wild, the species lives in flocks of 15–20 members; these flocks occasionally gather to form larger groups. The emerald starling locates its nest in small holes found in tree stumps or trunks. The male and female cooperate in building the nest from leaves, and both bring food to chicks after they hatch. Like other starlings, Emerald Starlings have special muscles that allow them to open their beaks while probing in the soil, giving them easier access to many insects. They have different calls for different purposes, including alarm calls, contact calls, and pre-flight calls. 

Crested Coua (Coua cristata)

Zoo collection includes: One pair of Crested Couas

Found in the wild: Madagascar

See Them at the Central Park Zoo: In the tropical rain forest. Look up.

Description: It is medium-sized, approximately 12 inches long. It is blue-grey with grey crest, blue bare orbital skin, rufous breast, brown iris, black  bill and legs, white belly and long white-tipped purplish-blue tail feathers. It is distinguished by its beautiful turquoise coloring over its eye.

What do they eat: The diet consists mainly of various insects, fruits, berries, seeds, snails and chameleons.

Threats: Not threatened.

Fun Facts: The female usually lays two white eggs in nest made from twigs. It is a member if the cuckoo family.

Scarlet Ibis (Eudocimus ruber)

Zoo collection includes: Eleven Scarlet Ibis

Found in the wild: Tropical rainforests and mangroves of Central America and northern South America.

See Them at the Central Park Zoo: On or over the beach in the tropical rain forest.

Description: Solid scarlet except for black wing tips; bill is long, thin and curved downward; neck is long and slender; legs are also long and thin with partially webbed feet; juveniles are dull, grayish brown Up to 24 inches.

What do they eat: They eat shrimp, crabs, various crustaceans, mollusks, and insects

Life span: Up to 20 years

Threats: Not threatened

Fun Facts: The scarlet Ibis is the national bird of Trinidad and Tobago. It belongs to the same order as herons, spoonbills, and storks. Scarlet ibises forage for food by probing their long curved bills into soft mud. They also are known to sway their bills back and forth in shallow water to capture prey.

Kookaburra (Dacelo novaeguineae)

Zoo collection includes: One Kookaburra

Found in the wild: They inhabit woodland areas of eastern and south western Australia.

See Them at the Central Park Zoo: This bird is part of the Education program.

Description: Kookaburras, known as the Laughing Jackasses of Australia, are from the family Kingfishers. Similar to other kingfishers, Kookaburras have a stout and compact body, short neck, rather long and pointed bill and short legs.

Kookaburras are 18 inches in height, the upper parts dark brown, the wings spotted gray-blue. A white band separates the head from the body. There is a dark stripe through the eye, and the under parts are white. The strong bill is black.

What do they eat:  In the wild, Kookaburras are known to be partial to the young of other birds and snakes, as well as insects and small reptiles.

Life span: Averages 15 years

Threats: Not threatened

Fun Facts: In many of the old Tarzan movies, the jungle sounds were often recordings of the laughing kookaburra call, which lives nowhere near Africa. The Australian aborigines have a legend about the Kookaburra. When the sun rose for the first time, the god Bayame ordered the kookaburra to utter its loud, almost human laughter in order to wake up mankind so that they should not miss the wonderful sunrise. The aborigines also believed that any child who insulted a kookaburra would grow an extra slanting tooth.

Blue-crowned Motmot (Momotus momota)

Zoo collection includes: Two Blue-crowned Motmots

Found in the wild: Mexico to South America in open woodland, humid forest edge, second growth, scrub

See Them at the Central Park Zoo: In the tropical rain forest. Look up.

Description: The blue-crowned motmot has a large head with down curved, short, broad beak, which is serrated along the upper edge. Their tarsi (feet) are unique in that they are particularly short with a middle toe almost completely fused to the inner toe and only one rear toe. Most of the species of motmots have tail feathers that distinguish them from other birds. The center tail feathers, which twitch like the pendulum of a clock when the motmot is perched, have bare spines at the tip. This makes them easily recognizable. The plumage of the blue-crowned motmot is shades of green and blue. They have red eyes, a turquoise crown and black face. It is about 17 inches long.

What do they eat: Motmots feed primarily on insects, crushing them in their saw-edged bill. They round out this diet with fruit and occasionally larger prey animals like lizards, frogs, and even mice.

Threats: Because they can live in many different forest types, ranging from rainforests to shaded coffee farms, the blue-crowned motmot is not on the endangered list. However, as shaded coffee farms and forests are destroyed, the survival of this beautiful bird is threatened.

Fun Facts: The word "motmot" is an American-Spanish word coined as an imitation of the call that the birds make. The birds live by themselves or in pairs, never in flocks. Each pair keeps to a particular feeding territory. Like their cousins the kingfishers and bee eaters, motmots dig elaborate nests below the ground, consisting of a large tunnel extending six feet into an earthen bank. Both male and female cooperate in nest building.

Pied Avocet (Recurvirostra avosetta)

Zoo collection includes: Six Pied Avocets

Found in the wild: They are found in Europe, Africa, and central and southern Asia.

See Them at the Central Park Zoo: In the tropical rain forest.

Description: Wading bird, with a characteristic long, narrow, upturned bill, which it uses to sift water as it feeds in the shallows. It is about 45 cm/18 in long, has long legs, partly webbed feet, and black and white plumage.

What do they eat: They are wading birds. Fish, insects, etc.

Threats: The species is threatened in Europe by the pollution of wetlands with PCBs, insecticides, selenium, lead and mercury.  Important wintering sites (e.g. in Portugal or the Yellow Sea) are also threatened by infrastructure development,  land reclamation, pollution, human disturbance and reduced river flows.

Fun Facts: The Pied Avocet is the emblem of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. In a large colony they are aggressively defensive and chase off any other species of birds that try to nest among or near them.

Speckled Mousebird (Colius striatus)

Zoo collection includes: One Speckled Mousebird

Found in the wild: Africa, south of the Sahara.

See Them at the Central Park Zoo: They may may generally be found perched among the branches inside the Tropic building on the left-hand side, past the entrance and near the tortoises.

Description: These are slender grayish or brown birds with soft, hair-like body feathers and very long thin tails, which can reach up to 10 inches long. They are not strong fliers with their short, rounded wings, and prefer to climb and scurry among the branches of trees.  Up to 12—14 inches. However, most of the length is because of an 8- to 10-inch long tail.

What do they eat: Berries, fruits, and buds. At the Central Park Zoo, these birds are fed avian pellets and bird salad.

Threats: Least concerned.

Fun Facts: With their hooked claws they can even eat upside down like bats. These are conspicuous birds which are highly social, feeding together and engaging in mutual preening. They frequently go to ground to dust bathe and occasionally to eat soil. At night they roost in very tight groups of 20 or so birds and on cold nights they become torpid.

Sunbittern (Eurypyga helias)

Zoo collection includes: Two Sunbitterns

Found in the wild: In the tropical rainforests of Central and South America from southern Mexico to southeastern Brazil. Usually near wooded banks of rivers, streams, and ponds.

See Them at the Central Park Zoo: You can usually see them from the upstairs balcony in the tropical rain forest.

Description: Adults may grow up to 18 inches. These primarily ground-dwelling birds have long, pale yellow legs and toes, allowing them to wade in the water for their food. Their spear-like beak seizes prey easily. The head is black with a white stripe over and under each eye. The chin and throat are also white. The rest of the plumage comes in an array of colors and speckled patterns.

What do they eat: Mollusks, crustaceans, and aquatic insects. At the Central Park Zoo, these birds are fed kibble and meat.

Life span: 15 years in managed conditions

Threats: Not threatened

Fun Facts:  Bitterns make nests of sticks, mud and decaying vegetable material in trees or bushes. Both parents tend to their clutch. The male and female protect and feed the chicks in turn during the first two weeks, never leaving the nest unattended. Later, the chicks are left alone for several hours each day while both parents hunt for food. As a sunbittern spreads its wings, a patch of chestnut and orange appears on the primary wing feathers and across the tail. This display is primarily used as a threat or defense rather than courtship and is typically accompanied by a low hiss and bowing. These birds catch their prey by striking quickly, using their long neck and spear-like bill. As it unfolds its tail, the sunbittern shows an enormous eye-like design, which is often used to frighten predators.

Superb Starling (Spreo superbus) 

Zoo collection includes: Eight Superb Starlings

Found in the wild: Parts of northeastern Africa, including Ethiopia, Somalia, Tanzania, and Sudan

See Them at the Central Park Zoo: In the tropical rain forest. They are easy to spot because they hang around in a group and are noisy.

Description: Superb Starlings are small, stocky birds with rounded wings and a strong, straight beak. Their upperparts and large bib are dark metallic blue-green.  They have a white band along the bottom of the bib, and the rest of the chest is bright chestnut.  The underparts are white.  Adults have pale yellow eyes. Juveniles have darker eyes, and are duller in overall coloring than adults.  Males and females look alike.  They reach 7-8 inches in length.

What do they eat: In the wild, they eat a variety of insects and other arthropods, worms, fruits, and grains.  They eat some agricultural pests, but also help themselves to the crops. At the Central Park Zoo, they eat soft-billed bird diet, chopped fruits and vegetables, and mealworms.

Life span: 15 years

Threats: Not threatened

Fun Facts: Superb Starlings forage by probing into the soil and then forcing the beak open, creating an open space where they can search for food.  They have strong muscles attached to the beak, and captive starlings will search for a substrate to probe in, even if their food is always provided in a dish. They have exceptional flight abilities.  They fly swiftly and can maneuver quickly, with large flocks twisting and turning as one. Their voice is various chattering and whistling notes, and they sometimes mimic other birds.  Like other starlings, Superb Starlings are gregarious and usually unafraid of people. They are often seen feeding near towns and agricultural fields.

Troupial (Icterus icterus)

Zoo collection includes: Four Troupials

Found in the wild: South America. Their range from northeastern Colombia east through Venezuela and into Aruba, Isla Margarita, Curaçao, southwest Guyana, Brazil, eastern Ecuador, Peru, and eastern Bolivia.

See Them at the Central Park Zoo: In the tropical rain forest. They usually travel in pairs.

Description: Up to 9 inches in length. The Venezuelan Troupial is fairly large in size, with a long tail and a bulky bill. It has a black head and upper breast. The feathers on the front of the neck and upper breast stick outward, making an uneven boundary between the black and the orange of the bird's lower breast and underside. The rest of the orange color is found on the upper and lower back, separated by the black shoulders. The wings are mostly black except for a white streak that runs the length of the wing when in a closed position. The eyes are yellow, and surrounding each one, there is a patch of bright, blue, naked skin. The wings also have white markings on them. It closely resembles its relation, the Baltimore oriole.

What do they eat:  Insects and fruits.

Threats: Least concerned.

Fun Facts: The Troupial is the national bird of Venezuela. Pairs are monogamous and mated throughout the year.

Taveta Golden Weaver (Ploceus castaneiceps)

Zoo collection includes: 10 Taveta Golden Weavers

Found in the wild: They are sub-saharan birds. They live in swampy woodlands along coastal East Africa from Kenya to Tanzania.

See Them at the Central Park Zoo: These beautiful yellow birds may be found flying all over the Tropic Zone of the Central Park Zoo. Since they are always on the move, it might be best to watch their basket-like nests, hanging from the palm trees throughout the building.

Description: The males are bright yellow with an orange coloring across the nape and breast. The wings and tail are a greenish color. Females are a dull, yellowish-olive color with paler yellow under parts. They have a yellow stripe above each eye.  

What do they eat: Grass, Insects  and corn seeds. At the Central Park Zoo, they eat soft-billed bird diet and chopped fruits and vegetables.

Threats: Not endangered.

Fun Facts: It builds spherical grass nests, usually suspended over water. The males build the nests and the females pick out the best nest to decide which bird would be a good breeding partner. Strong claws and bills enable these birds to weave their elaborate nests. The weavers get their name from the elaborate, woven nests that they build.  Each strand in a weaver’s nest is carefully woven into place, so that it is difficult to pull out even a single strand.  Like most other weavers, Taveta golden weavers are very gregarious.  They nest in large colonies, sometimes with other weaver species. They are very noisy birds, and their voice has been described as a “constant chattering”.