ZooChat Challenge (Global) 2017

[ThylacineAlive]

If we see a bird in a walkthrough aviary that is local, and we suspect shouldn't be in there, should we count it? It is still captive and on display, so I'm inclined to, but I want to be transparent about it.

I'm going to say no since it really isn't part of the collection.

~Thylo

 

[MagpieGoose]

Chester Zoo 02/01/2017

1) Pekin Robin (Leiothrix lutea)
2) Java Sparrow (Padda oryzivora)
3) Asian Glossy Starling (Aplonis panayensis)
4) Snowy-Crowned Robin Chat (Cossypha niveicapilla)
5) White-Rumped Shama (Copsychus malabaricus)
6) Emerald Starling (Lamprotornis iris)
7) Royal Starling (Lamprotornis regius)
8) Red-Whiskered Bulbul (Pycnonotus jocosus)
9) Chestnut-Backed Thrush (Zoothera dohertyi)
10) Timor Sparrow (Padda fuscata)
11) Timor Zebra Finch (Poephila guttata guttata)
12) Red-Billed Blue Magpie (Urocissa erythroryncha occipitalis)
13) Bali Starling (Leucopsar rothschildi)
14) Asian Fairy Bluebird (Irena puella)
15) Grosbeak Starling (Scissirostrum dubium)
16) Azure-Winged Magpie (Cyanopica cyanus)

Welsh Mountain Zoo 05/02/2017

17) Jungle Myna (Acridotheres fuscus)
18) Pagoda Myna (Sturnia pagodarum)
19) Common Bulbul (Pycnonotus barbatus)
20) Village Weaver (Ploceus cucullatus)
21) Red-Billed Quelea (Quelea quelea)

Forgot one from Welsh Mountain Zoo

22) Common Raven (Corvus corax)

Chester Zoo 15/02/2017

23) Sumatran Laughing Thrush (Garrulax bicolor)
24) Montserrat Oriole (Icterus oriole)
25) Yellow-Headed Myna (Mino dumontii)
26) Red-Tailed Laughingthrush (Trochalopteron milnei)

 

[CGSwans]

I've made a belated decision to enter this game. I've already visited Australia's best zoo for birds (Adelaide) and also the Halls Gap Zoo, but failed to take any notes so I will restrain myself only to birds that I specifically recall seeing on the visits.

Adelaide (8/1/2017)
1) Noisy pitta (Pitta versicolor)
2) Metallic starling (Aplonis metallica)
3) Gouldian finch (Erythrura gouldiae)
4) Red-faced parrot finch (Erythrura psittacae)

Halls Gap (12/2/2017)
5) Red bishop weaver (Euplectes orix)
6) White-browed woodswallow (Artamus superciliosus)

I know I'm missing a bunch of finches and probably others but hopefully I'll get an opportunity to replace the ones I'm missing later in the year.

 

[vogelcommando]

A visit to Antwerp Zoo - Belgium today provided me with a lot more passerines for the Challenge :
12) Northern cardinal ( Cardinalis cardinalis ) ( see Northern cardinal | ZooChat )
13) Rosy starling ( Pastor roseus ) ( see Rosy starling | ZooChat )
14) European goldfinch ( Carduelis carduelis )
15) Village weaver ( Ploceus cucullatus ) ( see Village weaver | ZooChat )
16) Golden-breasted starling ( Lamprotornis regius ) ( see Golden-breasted starling | ZooChat )
17) Snowy-crowned robin-chat ( Cossypha niveicapilla )
18) Red avocet ( Amandava amandava )
19) Brazilian tanager ( Ramphocelus bresilia ) ( see Brazilian tanager | ZooChat )
20) Ultramarine grosbeak ( Cyanocompsa brissonii ) ( see Ultramarine grosbeak | ZooChat )
21) Red-browed firetail ( Neochmia temporalis )
22) White-rumped shama ( Copsychus malabaricus )
23) Painted bunting ( Passerina ciris ) ( see Painted bunting | ZooChat )
24) Red-whiskered bulbul ( Pycnonotus jocosus ) ( see Red-whiskered bulbul | ZooChat )
25) Diamond firetail ( Stagonopleura guttata )
26) Asian fairy bluebird ( Irena puella ) ( see Asian fairy bluebird | ZooChat )
27) Red-billed leiotrix ( Leiotrix lutea )
28) Orange-bellied waxbill ( Amandava subflava )
29) Yellow-crowned bishop ( Euplectes afer )
30 Cut-throated finch ( Amandina fasciata ) ( see Cut-throat finch Juvinile | ZooChat )
31) Scaly-breasted munia ( Lonchura punctulata )
32) Long-tailed finch ( Poephila acuticauda )
33) Blue-faced honeyeater ( Entomyzon cyanotis ) ( see Blue-faced honeyeater | ZooChat )
34) Violet-backed starling ( Cinnyriclinclus leucogaster )
35) Kilimanjaro white-eye ( Zosterops eurycricotus ) ( see Kilimanjaro white-eye | ZooChat )
36) Brahminy starling ( Sturnus pagodarum ) ( see Brahminy starling | ZooChat )
37) Gouldian finch ( Chloebia gouldiae ) ( Gould's amandine | ZooChat )

A visit to Burgers Zoo - Arnhem in the Netherlands brought some new species for the challenge :
38) Chestnut-backed groundthrush ( Zoothera dohertyi ) ( see Chestnut-backed ground-thrush | ZooChat )
39) Lawrence goldfinch ( Carduelis lawrencei ) ( see Bathing Lawrence goldfinch | ZooChat )
40) Screaming piha ( Lipaugus vociferans ) ( see Screaming piha | ZooChat )
41) Golden-fronted leafbird ( Chloropsis aurifrons ) ( see Golden-fronted leafbird | ZooChat )
42) Inca green jay ( Cyanocorax yncas ) ( see Inca green jay | ZooChat )
43) Red-rumped cacique ( Cacicus heamorrhous ) ( see Red-rumped cacique | ZooChat )
44) House sparrow ( Passer domesticus ) ( see House sparrow | ZooChat )
45) Scissor-billed starling ( Scissirostrum dubium ) ( see Scissor-billed starlings | ZooChat )
46) Blue-black grassquit ( Volatinia jacarina ) ( see Blue-black grassquit | ZooChat )
47) Rose-bellied bunting ( Passerina rositae ) ( see Rose-bellied bunting | ZooChat )
48) Madagascar fody ( Foudia madagascariensis ) ( see Madagascar fody | ZooChat )

Quite happy with the species seen but evenso a lot still missing... species like Timor sparrow, White-eared catbird, Oriental white-eye, Sunda hooded pitta or Yellow grosbeak had made my day even more succesfull. However, a reason to return to Burgers a second ( or a third, fourth......) time !

 

[FunkyGibbon]

I open my account with a visit to Zoo Negara on January 23rd:

1. Black and White Laughing Thrush, Garrulax bicolor

This was one of only two passerines labelled at the zoo. I visited KL Bird Park a year ago and wasn't really inclined to rush back. I actually don't think the passerine collection there was particularly good either, apart from a nice mixed Bulbul aviary. It's going to be a slow start to the year for me.

Well I had more time in KL than I thought so I did go back. It's not as bad as I remember, but then going with lowered expectations will usually help with that.

Kuala Lumpur Bird Park, February 10th:

2. Black-naped Oriole, Oriolus chinensis
3. Baya Weaver, Ploceus philippinus
4. Superb Starling, Lamprotornis superbus
5. White-crested Laughing Thrush, Garrulax leucolophus
6. White-headed Munia, Lonchura maja
7. Black-crested Bulbul, Pycnonotus flaviventris
8. Black-headed Bulbul,Pycnonotus atriceps
9. Black-headed Munia, Lonchura atricapilla
10. Red-whiskered Bulbul, Pycnonotus jocosus
11. Stripe-throated Bulbul, Pycnonotus finlaysoni
12. Scaly-breasted Munia, Lonchura punctulata
13. Red Avadavat, Amandava amandava
14. Hill Myna, Gracula religiosa
15. Common Myna, Acridotheres tristis
16. Javan Myna, Acridotheres javanicus
17. Black-throated Laughingthrush, Garrulax chinensis
18. Formosan Blue Magpie, Urocissa caerulea
19. Straw-headed Bulbul, Pycnonotus zeylanicus

 

[Chlidonias]

I'm going to say no since it really isn't part of the collection.

but if it is in a walk-through aviary and it isn't explicitly a free-loading wild bird, what then? In Asia there are often common local birds kept in the zoo aviaries, so one can only suspect it either is or isn't captive/wild.

 

[vogelcommando]

but if it is in a walk-through aviary and it isn't explicitly a free-loading wild bird, what then? In Asia there are often common local birds kept in the zoo aviaries, so one can only suspect it either is or isn't captive/wild.

Intresting subject. I would say if the bird can't leave the aviary / enclosure, it should be regarded as being captive. If it can go in and out, then I'll say it's wild.
Saw this for example at 2 collections this year. At Antwerp Zoo the wire-mesh for the bird-of-prey aviaries is very wide and I saw a carrion crow in one of the vulture-aviaries but I'm sure he could leave the aviary at any time through the mesh, so I didn't count it as being captive.
On the other hand, at Burgers Bush there is a good population of House sparrows but they can't leave the Bush ( if they could, also a lot of other species could do this as well and I don't think Burgers would be happy with that ! ) so these I've counted on my list.

 

[vogelcommando]

A visit to Burgers Zoo - Arnhem in the Netherlands brought some new species for the challenge :
38) Chestnut-backed groundthrush ( Zoothera dohertyi ) ( see Chestnut-backed ground-thrush | ZooChat )
39) Lawrence goldfinch ( Carduelis dohertyi ) ( see Bathing Lawrence goldfinch | ZooChat )
40) Screaming piha ( Lipaugus vociferans ) ( see Screaming piha | ZooChat )
41) Golden-fronted leafbird ( Chloropsis aurifrons ) ( see Golden-fronted leafbird | ZooChat )
42) Inca green jay ( Cyanocorax yncas ) ( see Inca green jay | ZooChat )
43) Red-rumped cacique ( Cacicus heamorrhous ) ( see Red-rumped cacique | ZooChat )
44) House sparrow ( Passer domesticus ) ( see House sparrow | ZooChat )
45) Scissor-billed starling ( Scissirostrum dubium ) ( see Scissor-billed starlings | ZooChat )
46) Blue-black grassquit ( Volatinia jacarina ) ( see Blue-black grassquit | ZooChat )
47) Rose-bellied bunting ( Passerina rositae ) ( see Rose-bellied bunting | ZooChat )
48) Madagascar fody ( Foudia madagascariensis ) ( see Madagascar fody | ZooChat )

Quite happy with the species seen but evenso a lot still missing... species like Timor sparrow, White-eared catbird, Oriental white-eye, Sunda hooded pitta or Yellow grosbeak had made my day even more succesfull. However, a reason to return to Burgers a second ( or a third, fourth......) time !

By doing this challenge and visiting Artis - Amsterdam Zoo last tuesday I really realized how much zoos have changed over the past 20 / 30 years ! Say 25 years ago a visit to Artis would have delivered me with - at least - 20 - 30 ( new ) songbirds for the challenge, on tuesday I saw 4 ( ! ) and missed 1 ( the Scissor-billed starling ) but had seen that last one already a day before at Burgers Zoo..
25 years ago I would have seen - I guess - at least 5 - different starling-species, at least 5 weaver-species, about 5 timali-species, several bulbuls, a good number of corvid-species, some nectar-eating birds ( sunbird, honeycreepers ) and loads of seed-eating birds ( finches, estrilds ) !
On tuesday it was 2 starlings ( both new for mine challenge ), 1 weaver and one bulbul !
The 2 new species I can add are :
49) Superb starling ( Lamprotornis superbus ) ( see Superb starling | ZooChat )
50) Bali mynah ( Leucopsar rothschildi ( see Bali mynahs | ZooChat )

 

[MagpieGoose]

Forgot one from Welsh Mountain Zoo

22) Common Raven (Corvus corax)

Chester Zoo 15/02/2017

23) Sumatran Laughing Thrush (Garrulax bicolor)
24) Montserrat Oriole (Icterus oriole)
25) Yellow-Headed Myna (Mino dumontii)
26) Red-Tailed Laughingthrush (Trochalopteron milnei)

Chester Zoo

27) Orange-Headed Thrush (Zoothera citrina)
28) Madagascar Fody (Foudia madagascariensis)
29) Red-Billed Chough (Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax)
30) African Montane White-Eye (Zosterops poliogastrus)

 

[LaughingDove]

From Warsaw Zoo, and probably my last additions for a few months:

12) Java Sparrow (Lonchura oryzivora)
13) Asian Azure-winged Magpie (Cyanopica cyanus)
14) Eurasian Bullfinch (Pyrrhula pyrrhula)
15) Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis)
16) Woodlark (Lullula arborea)
17) White Wagtail (Motacilla alba)
18) Common Starling (Sturnus vulgaris)
19) Yellow-crowned Bishop (Euplectes afer)
20) Northern Red Bishop (Euplectes franciscanus)
21) Cut-throat Finch (Amadina fasciata)
22) Gouldian Finch (Erythrura gouldiae)
23) Long-tailed Finch (Poephila acuticauda)
24) Sudan Golden Sparrow (Passer luteus)
25) Bali Myna (Leucopsar rothschildi)
26) Blue-faced Honeyeater (Entomyzon cyanotis)
27) Greater Blue-eared Glossy-starling (Lamprotornis chalybaeus)
28) White-eyed Bulbul (Pycnonotus xanthopygos)
29) Red Fody (Foudia madagascariensis)
30) Asian Fairy-bluebird (Irena puella)
31) Eurasian Golden Oriole (Oriolus oriolus)
32) Red-billed Blue-magpie (Urocissa erythroryncha)

Also, a query about what can be counted and what can't. Warsaw Zoo has a building that functions as a CITES Centre and also for rehabilitating rescued birds with aviaries on the outside of the building that hold rescued birds. The building is very clearly visible from the main path through the zoo with signs from the path saying what the building is, so it is not exactly off-show, but there is no access directly to the building so it is not exactly on-show either. This picture should give an idea of what I mean, and the birds are in those aviaries on the side CITES Centre | ZooChat

Assuming this does count (because the rule states 'can be seen from normal public access' which this certainly can be), it also adds:

33) Hooded Crow (Corvus cornix)
34) Rook (Corvus frugilegus)
35) Common Magpie (Pica pica)

A couple of things from a visit to Lodz Zoo on Tuesday:

36) Red-winged Laughingthrush (Trochalopteron formosum)
37) Purple Glossy Starling (Lamprotornis purpureus)

 

[jayjds2]

National Zoo 1/28/17:
16. Yellow-bellied grosbeak Pheucticus chrysogaster

National Aquarium in Baltimore 2/25/17
17. Fawn-breasted bowerbird Chlamydera cerviniventris
18. Star finch Neochmia ruficauda
19. Gouldian finch Erythrura gouldiae
20. Long-tailed finch Poephila acuticanda
21. Green-and-gold tanager Tangara schrankii
22. Paradise tanager Tangara chilensis
23. Red-capped cardinal Paroaria gularis
24. Turquoise tanager Tangara mexicana
25. Bay-headed tanager Tangara gyrola

 

[LaughingDove]

A couple of things from a visit to Lodz Zoo on Tuesday:

36) Red-winged Laughingthrush (Trochalopteron formosum)
37) Purple Glossy Starling (Lamprotornis purpureus)

Just one addition from Plock Zoo:

38) Oriental Magpie-robin (Copsychus saularis)

 

[MagpieGoose]

Chester Zoo

27) Orange-Headed Thrush (Zoothera citrina)
28) Madagascar Fody (Foudia madagascariensis)
29) Red-Billed Chough (Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax)
30) African Montane White-Eye (Zosterops poliogastrus)

ZSL London Zoo

31) West Nile Red Bishop (Euplecetes franciscus)
32) Purple Glossy Starling (Lamprotornis purpureus)
33) Red-Legged Honeycreeper (Cyanerpes cyaneus)
34) Hooded Pitta (Pitta sordida)
35) Brazilian Tanager (Ramphocelus bresilius)

 

[vogelcommando]

By doing this challenge and visiting Artis - Amsterdam Zoo last tuesday I really realized how much zoos have changed over the past 20 / 30 years ! Say 25 years ago a visit to Artis would have delivered me with - at least - 20 - 30 ( new ) songbirds for the challenge, on tuesday I saw 4 ( ! ) and missed 1 ( the Scissor-billed starling ) but had seen that last one already a day before at Burgers Zoo..
25 years ago I would have seen - I guess - at least 5 - different starling-species, at least 5 weaver-species, about 5 timali-species, several bulbuls, a good number of corvid-species, some nectar-eating birds ( sunbird, honeycreepers ) and loads of seed-eating birds ( finches, estrilds ) !
On tuesday it was 2 starlings ( both new for mine challenge ), 1 weaver and one bulbul !
The 2 new species I can add are :
49) Superb starling ( Lamprotornis superbus ) ( see Superb starling | ZooChat )
50) Bali mynah ( Leucopsar rothschildi ( see Bali mynahs | ZooChat )

By visiting Kinderboerderij en Natuureducatiecentrum 't Valleike - the Netherlands today, I had the hope to be able to add 2 new species to my year-list because last year I saw 2 corvids at this collection. The first one I found directly but in the aviary of the second species I found another species and this one was unlikely to be kept together with the species I was actually looking for...
I was looking for the Hooded crow and found a rosella so I guess the Hooded crow is not any longer kept in 't Valleike.
So now I'm only able to add one species to the Challenge :
51) Pied crow ( Corvus albus ) ( see Pied crow - Corvus albus | ZooChat )

 

[CGSwans]

I've made a belated decision to enter this game. I've already visited Australia's best zoo for birds (Adelaide) and also the Halls Gap Zoo, but failed to take any notes so I will restrain myself only to birds that I specifically recall seeing on the visits.

Adelaide (8/1/2017)
1) Noisy pitta (Pitta versicolor)
2) Metallic starling (Aplonis metallica)
3) Gouldian finch (Erythrura gouldiae)
4) Red-faced parrot finch (Erythrura psittacae)

Halls Gap (12/2/2017)
5) Red bishop weaver (Euplectes orix)
6) White-browed woodswallow (Artamus superciliosus)

I know I'm missing a bunch of finches and probably others but hopefully I'll get an opportunity to replace the ones I'm missing later in the year.

Made a brief visit to Melbourne Zoo today before flying out of the country.

7) Helmeted honeyeater (Lichenostomus melanops)
8) Blue-faced honeyeater (Entomyzon cyanotis)
9) Apostlebird (Struthidea cinerea)
10) Bell miner (Manorina melanophrys)
11) Zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata)
12) Java sparrow (Lonchura oryzivora)

 

[Chlidonias]

I think this thread is really showing how extremely poor the passerine collections of even major zoos are. There are a couple of exceptions (e.g. the Bronx list from ThylacineAlive was relatively long, compared to most of the others) but a lot of them are four or five species and that's it. When the thread was started I thought there were going to be big long lists coming out!

 

[zoogiraffe]

Picked up a few more so here goes

24) Bengalese Finch (Lonchura striata)
25) Black-headed Weaver (Ploceus melanocephalus)
26) Brazilian Tanager (Ramphocelus bresilia)

Thats it for the moment

A few more from a couple of visits to Chester

27) Asian Glossy Starling (Aplonis panayensis)
28) Bali Mynah (Leucopsar rothschildi)
29) Black-necked Weaver (Ploceus nigricollis nigricollis)
30) Red-tailed Laughing Thrush (Trochalopteron milnei)
31) Red-winged Starling (Onychognathus morio)
32) Superb Starling (Lamprotornis superbus)

Still missing a few from Chester but most of them are off show and in some cases have never been on show.The only other one I am missing from Chester is the White-eye which I am pretty certain I will not get as I am pretty sure they left last year.

 

[MagpieGoose]

Still missing a few from Chester but most of them are off show and in some cases have never been on show.The only other one I am missing from Chester is the White-eye which I am pretty certain I will not get as I am pretty sure they left last year.

I saw the white-eye on my visit in February, it was from the top gallery in the aviary where the birds can come and go.

 

[zoogiraffe]

I saw the white-eye on my visit in February, it was from the top gallery in the aviary where the birds can come and go.

I have seen plenty of things that look like White-eyes but they have all been young Pekin Robins,but if when the annual report comes out and they aren't listed then we know that you have been seeing things if not I need to spend a day in their trying to find them!

 

[MagpieGoose]

I have seen plenty of things that look like White-eyes but they have all been young Pekin Robins,but if when the annual report comes out and they aren't listed then we know that you have been seeing things if not I need to spend a day in their trying to find them!

I had the same problem with the Pekin Robin, too many of them! I have just uploaded a photo of the individual I saw on the 20th of February 2017.

African Montane White-Eye

• MagpieGoose
• 11 Mar 2017
• 4