Bull Sharks, Bongos and Booroolong Frogs, Oh My!: WhistlingKite24 tours Sydney’s zoos

[WhistlingKite24]

Day 2, Part 1: Featherdale Wildlife Park – Swift Parrots to Ghost Bats:

From dainty fairywrens to gargantuan owls, the bird collection of Featherdale Wildlife Park has long captured my attention as a refreshing change from the norm in an era where birds take a back seat across most Australian zoos. The park is located about an hour from Sydney’s centre within the rapidly growing area of Western Sydney specifically in Doonside. Initially founded on the site of a poultry farm, birds have always been a strong feature of Featherdale and they maintain one of the largest collections of Australian fauna anywhere to found – certainly larger than Taronga. The aim for visiting Featherdale wasn’t to admire amazingly well-landscaped enclosures or marvel at expensive architectural feats of innovation; it was for the animals. Plain and simple. It’s a place free of frivolity. With Featherdale, what you see is what you get.

I arrived very early at Featherdale as it opens at 8am. I was visiting during daylight saving time in summer - something that is not practiced in Queensland - so technically I was entering the park at 7am! I didn’t see another visitor till an hour later so I believe most just assume gates open later on. The hour alone in the park gave me a great head start to the day as I was also now planning to visit Sydney Zoo around at midday. I was pressed for time but fortunately most of the animals were very visible. Like I mentioned, I was the first visitor in the park and immediately felt at home. Featherdale is more akin to the Queensland wildlife parks I am used to visiting. The entrance was reminiscent of a combination between Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary and Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary, strongly geared towards international tourists. Brisbane doesn’t have the mega zoos like Taronga but we do have plenty of smaller wildlife parks.

Entrance

As I entered the humble little entrance, I was hit with the morning chorus of birds. Brolgas were trumpeting, black cockatoos were screeching away which for me is *the* sound of the quintessential Australian zoo/wildlife park, whipbirds were whipping, a few colourful fairywrens caught my eye in the entrance aviaries and lots of unfamiliar calls were ringing in my ears. I knew I was home. The first aviary of dozens and dozens sits right outside the entry area. It’s a modest little structure but it housed a flock of dozen energetic Swift Parrots. I adore this critically endangered species but they aren’t housed in Queensland zoos I don’t believe due to the hot climate mainly I imagine. Featherdale have been very successful breeding this species with several recent rounds of chicks present among the adults. The park mixes these fantastic little creatures with a male Superb Fairywren that provides a nice pop of blue and Painted Buttonquail. There are two group of birds that are really diverse at Featherdale especially – owls were the more apparent one but the range of buttonquail species was a close second. It was rare to find a mixed aviary without these little birds running around filling up the floor space with their activity. Considering how elusive these buttonquails are in the wild, it’s a treat to see.

Swift Parrot

After a nice entry statement of colourful little parrots was a small open pond for a flock of Blue-billed Ducks. They made for an attractive display being small active ducks with the breeding males, as their name suggest, having a pale blue bill. Through a gate there was a large mob of Red-necked Pademelons that have the free range of the first portion of the park. Pademelons, like most macropods, are efficient breeding machines and there were several little joeys seen. The pademelons were surrounded by a row of tall aviaries with a diverse range of species – my first real taste of the Featherdale experience. The first aviary had a Glossy Black-Cockatoo climbing up the mesh mixed with lots of large-bodied columbids like Brush Bronzewing which is a species that is particularly plentiful at this park, Brown Cuckoo-Dove, Wonga Pigeon and White-headed Pigeon. A breeding pair of Bush Stone-Curlews were protecting two very young stripy chicks and one of the adults was extremely defensive attempting to peck at the fence. There was also a very showy Eastern Whipbird, an unsigned Noisy Pitta and a pair of Satin Bowerbirds to complete this first exhibit in the row. Aviary number two had the small bush birds with two male Scarlet Honeyeaters seen, Silvereyes, unsigned Red-browed Finches, a Variegated Fairywren and Brown Quail. Another finch species – Double-barred Finches - were signed as well but not seen. An unsigned Turquoise Parrot also materialised on my second viewing of this particular aviary. A really nice mix.

Red-necked Pademelon

Row of Avaries

The largest aviary of the row had an interesting mix of medium-sized to larger birds. The highlight of this aviary is a Superb Lyrebird that was scratching up the leaf litter and later flew up to a high perch. There aren’t many lyrebirds in Australian zoos. Off the top of my head if my information is correct – a male at Taronga, a male at Adelaide, a pair at Healesville and this one at Featherdale. The female lyrebird at Rockhampton Zoo had to be euthanised last year due to a salmonella outbreak but up until recently was another holder. The lyrebird is mixed with a diverse range of engaging species. This aviary had a lot of movement and colour with a pair of Green Catbirds, raucous Noisy Friarbirds, a pair of festive Australian King-Parrots and Laughing Kookaburra. I am always interested to see how kookaburras are mixed in zoos especially considering how often they are placed in single-species exhibits especially overseas. The Apostlebirds were my favourite of the lot as they were noisily building a mud nest on an open perch. Finally, Scaly-breasted Lorikeets were also signed but I could only find a pair of Musk Lorikeets. The fourth and final aviary had cockatoos mainly – Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoo, Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, a young Gang-gang Cockatoo, a vocal Australian Magpie and Masked Lapwing as the ground bird of choice for this and several later aviaries. This was only the first proper aviary row at Featherdale and I was in paradise.

Green Catbird

Gang-gang Cockatoo

The free-ranging pademelons continued to follow me around, seeking the food no doubt they sell at the front while I watched a Common Wombat in a nearby exhibit with a very low barrier. It would be incredibly easy to reach your hand out and pat the wombat; which is something I observed later on during my visit. Nearby was the first of a handful of enclosures for Southern Cassowary. A small but well-vegetated exhibit. As I walked past the cassowary, the large creature produced a sound I’d never heard before come from a cassowary. It was a booming reverberance that had a ground-shaking sensation. It was a rumble that inflated the entire bird; like a pedal note on an organ is the best I could compare it. Close to the cassowary is a large beach-themed open-topped exhibit for Australian Pelican, Little Pied Cormorant, Pied Cormorant and the impressive Kelp Gull with one seemingly on a nest. Featherdale exhibits all three of Australia’s resident gull species and while some might think their resources could be put towards other avian species, I think it’s really quite interesting to see these larger gull species especially. Absolute monsters compared to the abundant silver gull.

Seabird enclosure

Kelp Gull

Down a straight path is a large leafy aviary for wet forest birds. It’s quite a long and tall structure and there is an opening in the aviary where visitors can walk under the exhibit and see birds on either side as they pass through. Olive-backed Orioles were the first species that caught my attention as a bird that’s common in the wild but I don’t think I’ve ever heard of being in zoos. There were flocks of Torresian Imperial-Pigeons, Bar-shouldered Doves and the odd Rose-crowned Fruit-Dove. The large aviary also had a Bush Stone-Curlew, more of those very active Noisy Friarbirds, Noisy Pitta, Regent Bowerbird and a flock of Metallic Starlings. These starlings really assist to fill out the canopy in aviaries as I’ve been finding out. There was an unsigned Grey Shrike-thrush which is another species that is rare in captivity. Green Catbird was also signed but not seen. Nearby was the complex for their Koalas – both of the northern and southern populations. There were some quite unattractive rows of old breeding enclosures reminiscent of Lone Pine and a sheltered area to pump out koala photos and encounters for international visitors. But a gated entry to view a glass-fronted enclosure for Koala, a single Red-necked Pademelon and a Tawny Frogmouth mix provided a much more pleasant viewing experience.

Olive-backed Oriole

Pademelon/koala/frogmouth enclosure

Right before exiting this first part of Featherdale into the next section with different free-ranging macropods, was a small unassuming aviary for Regent Honeyeater, Red-rumped Parrot, Common Bronzewing and unsigned Painted Buttonquail. This aviary led to a gate through to the next set of wallabies with breeding groups of Tammar and Parma Wallabies everywhere. There were several joeys around and the wallabies have a good amount of room they can access away from the public but most seemed to be very habituated around humans. Both of these wallaby species remain uncommon to non-existent around my local zoos so it’s a treat to see them in such healthy numbers. Notably there were several wild Satin Bowerbirds at Featherdale and most of them congregated around a fruiting fig tree in this wallaby walkthrough. Great to watch.

Wild Satin Bowerbird

Tammar Wallabies

I breezed past an additional Koala enclosure on my way to a wonderful set of modern-looking owl aviaries framed with wood. The keeper attending to the owls mentioned that these were brand new aviaries and the animals only moved in a week ago. There were five roomy aviaries all about three metres tall with new plantings that will fill in the space nicely in time and shady parts towards the rear of each exhibit. The first aviary had a mix of Eastern Barn Owl, a pair of Boobook Owls and a lone Australian Grass Owl, next door was a glorious Rufous Owl. This was my first time seeing this species and they are spectacular. Fortunately, Featherdale have quite a few of them – around four to five individuals on-show peppered across the park. It was followed by a pair of the striking Lesser Sooty Owls which then led to an aviary for Barking Owl. The largest and final aviary had several Australian Grass Owls, Lesser Sooty Owls and a very active Rufous Owl. The keeper mentioned that all the sooty owls at the park are Lessers as their last Greater Sooty Owls – a sibling pair - were dispersed to other collections. These new owl aviaries were spacious, clean and pleasant; a great step forward for Featherdale.

New Owl Aviaries

Rufous Owl

Nearby was a small open-topped enclosure for a pair of Australian Shelducks and a Little Black Cormorant. There was also an exhibit for a Southern Hairy-nosed Wombat as well somewhere in the general area. The only nocturnal exhibits with reverse lighting at Featherdale was in a small nearby building; the first glass-fronted viewing revealed the presence of a small colony of Ghost Bats. This was then followed by a second separate exhibit for Greater Bilby and a larger colony of Ghost Bats. The bats, like always, were great to watch and it was good to see Featherdale have the resources to house two different groups.

Ghost Bats

Day 2, Part 2 will continue travelling through Featherdale, from Broad-shelled Turtles to Chestnut Rails

 

[OskarGC]

Featherdale has already changed a lot since my visit in early July. Was the walk-in area with Red-Necked Pademelon (Blue Mountains Walk-In) also signed for Golden Pheasant & Australian Brush-Turkey. It was on my visit but we didn't see either of those two species in there & saw Golden Pheasant free-ranging at the back of the park.

 

[WhistlingKite24]

Featherdale has already changed a lot since my visit in early July. Was the walk-in area with Red-Necked Pademelon (Blue Mountains Walk-In) also signed for Golden Pheasant & Australian Brush-Turkey. It was on my visit but we didn't see either of those two species in there & saw Golden Pheasant free-ranging at the back of the park.

No those species weren't signed in the front part of the park with the pademelons on my visit. The Golden Pheasant was at the back of the park in one of the open-topped enclosures.

 

[WhistlingKite24]

Day 2, Part 2: Featherdale Wildlife Park – Broad-shelled Turtles to Chestnut Rails:

As you would have gathered by now, Featherdale is a bit of maze to navigate with so many enclosures jammed packed within the entire location. That’s part of the fun however. This tradition continued with a small open-topped exhibit for Broad-shelled River Turtles which are among my favourite turtles as a very remarkable species when fully-grown. They are much more impressive than the commoner Eastern Long-necked Turtles and have a bulkier head and longer neck. A very active Short-beaked Echidna also caught my eye as it was bumbling around in the cool weather as well in a small enclosure. The next aviary was a popular mix of wild-type Budgerigars and Cockatiels with a dash of pink and blue from the Bourke’s Parrot, Banded Lapwing and the best species was the elusive Stubble Quail. The quail took a while to track down but were found behind the grass clumps. The value of a large flock of budgies, especially wild-types, cannot be underestimated for they add a great deal of liveliness to any aviary; there is a reason why they are such popular pets. There was a nearby additional aviary row with the first exhibit containing the lovely Blue-winged Parrot, Bush Stone-Curlew, Brush Bronzewing and more Regent Honeyeater. Any aviary with Neophemas get a tick from me. Next door were a pair of Grey Shrike-thrush mixed with Pacific Emerald Dove and yet more Brush Bronzewing. This row finishes with a tall aviary with a quick gold flash of a male Regent Bowerbird mixed with bulky Wonga Pigeon and Little Lorikeet with a Noisy Pitta and the striking Black-breasted Buttonquail present on the aviary floor. Peaceful and Bar-shouldered Doves were additional good aviary fillers to balance out all the colour. Not only was the breadth of Featherdale’s bird collection becoming very apparent but also the sheer number of individual birds – easily a dozen or so pittas, fruit-doves and bronzewings were seen through the morning for example.

Regent Bowerbird

Black-breasted Buttonquail

One of things I loved about Featherdale were all the themed aviaries dotted around the park that started appearing as you get deeper into the zoo – a large tall aviary dedicated to species found in subtropical rainforests for example captured the essence of this. There were two species signed that immediately grabbed my attention – both White-naped and Yellow-tufted Honeyeaters were easily seen with the latter species bathing in a water dish. The Yellow-tufts were particularly exciting as a new one for the list. The honeyeaters were joined by a large and diverse mix of species like Superb Fruit-Dove, a large flock of Topknot Pigeons that have been breeding well at Featherdale, Wonga Pigeon, even more Noisy Pitta, more Eastern Whipbird, White-headed Pigeon and Regent Bowerbird. There were two species that were signed but not seen – Eastern Koel and Australasian Figbird. The neighbouring and equally large aviary was themed around possessing birds of a similar region. This aviary continued the small honeyeater theme with the striking White-cheeked Honeyeaters catching my attention immediately with its streaky black and white colouration and white cheeks. A large range of species were housed in this aviary with everything from colourful screeching Eclectus Parrot to elusive Painted Buttonquail and everything in between like more Peaceful Doves, unseen Squatter Pigeon, Brown Cuckoo-Dove, Regent Bowerbird, Pied Stilt, Noisy Pitta, an engaging flock of Star Finches and Rose-crowned Fruit Dove including a very young richly-green individual that would have only fledged the flimsy nest recently. The highlight of this aviary was a small flock of Masked Woodswallows. As I would soon learn, these active little woodswallows are a running theme throughout several aviaries and fill up the top half of each aviary nicely. Both these aviaries were among my favourites.

Yellow-tufted Honeyeater

Masked Woodswallow

Young Rose-crowned Fruit-Dove

A row of four older aviaries with thick vines growing over the top of them were up next – these were located in a quieter nook of the zoo and provided good shade and coverage. These contained Rufous Owl, Lesser Sooty Owl and a mix of Australian Grass Owl and more Rufous Owl. One of these aviaries was unsigned and particularly darkened. I looked up and found a pair of orange eyes staring straight through me – my first ever Powerful Owl. As adept glider and possum hunters, these owls possess huge talons, barred patterning for camouflage and are Australia’s largest owl. I was surprised by how hawk-like they look in the flesh with a smallish head and lack of a very prominent facial disc and a comparatively slender bill, more so than other Ninox owls. Powerful Owls aren’t common in zoos – Healesville had one recently but it went to Featherdale and Australia Zoo had a rescued one as well for a few years but it’s not at the zoo anymore. Taronga has/had one as well for a few years. At Featherdale, I saw a total of three individuals – one housed alone and a pair later on.

Powerful Owls

From this point onwards is when the real maze of aviaries commenced. There was no real logical way to track all of them so I started with closest to furthest but it soon became a game of whatever caught my attention and what was active. I firstly made my way to an aviary with an unusual mix of Green Catbird, Buff-banded Rail and Green-winged Macaws. It was difficult to see but I could just see one macaw out of the next box and then two inside; one could have been a chick but I couldn’t get a clear enough view. In a similar-sized aviary were some more noisy parrots including my first ever Baudin’s Black Cockatoo which complete the set of Australian black cockatoos for me, Red-tailed Black-Cockatoos, Major Mitchell’s Cockatoos, a pair of showy Australian Bustards, Princess Parrots as a more pastel point of difference from all the cockatoos and signed but unseen Nankeen Kestrels. On my way to a few aviaries for exotic birds was an open-topped enclosure for Lace Monitor as well. There were two aviaries that specifically contained exotic bird species. The first one was thickly-planted with a large breeding colony of Nicobar Pigeons including a heavily pied one. The pigeons were busily breeding and I saw one chick that was close to the mesh. It was in one of the sturdier nests compared to some of the other ones and it’s always good to see Nicobars breeding successfully. They are mixed with Tricoloured Munias and Blue-faced Parrotfinches along with Red-whiskered Bulbuls and Luzon Bleeding-heart Doves. The second aviary contained a huge colony of White-breasted Ground-Doves, dozens and dozens of them, along with more Nicobar Pigeon, more Red-whiskered Bulbul and a highly entertaining pair of Red Lories similar to how Taronga house them. I always particularly enjoy when aviaries have the ‘the big bird showpiece and lots of small birds’ mix so watching the ground-loving Nicobar Pigeons feeding around all the active little waxbills made for an incredibly enjoyable experience.

Nicobar Pigeons with finches

One of the largest aviaries at Featherdale is dedicated to open forest birds. Despite being a mangrove bird, the first bird that caught my eye was a Chestnut Rail that was in full view. This species was one of my target birds for Featherdale and they didn’t disappoint. These rails are like Australian weka – large, heavily-built birds with strong feet but then they have features that are reminiscent of a Pale-vented Bush-hen especially the colouration of the bill and daintier facial shape. Really intriguing birds. Other species with the rails included some ‘bread and butter’ birds like a pair of White-faced Heron, Masked Lapwing, Glossy Ibis, Bush Stone-Curlew, Bar-shouldered Dove, a breeding flock of Torresian Imperial-Pigeons and lots of White-browed Woodswallows. A Pheasant Coucal was another excellent bird to see here in the aviary considering their elusiveness in the wild. There was plenty of height in this exhibit for the birds to perch up high as well. Apologies for the lack of enclosure photos for this post – I forgot to take them for this part as I was busy with the birds! There will be plenty of exhibit photos however in the next part especially of the aviaries so you can get a better idea of Featherdale.

Chestnut Rail

Open Forest aviary

Day 2, Part 3 will cover the remaining portion of Featherdale's exhibits in the first part of the zoo, from Crimson Chats to Saltwater Crocodiles.

 

[Coelacanth18]

Featherdale seems like a neat facility; I like to see all those owls. It also continues to amaze me how much diversity there is among Australian birds; Taronga doesn't have many birds from outside its own region, yet it runs laps around 90% or more of zoos I've been to in the States!

I am always interested to see how kookaburras are mixed in zoos especially considering how often they are placed in single-species exhibits especially overseas.

Yeah, I was interested by that as well. Do those combinations just work on a case-by-case basis or do most zoos just keep kookaburras separate out of caution?

There aren’t many lyrebirds in Australian zoos.

Why is that? Sort of surprising to hear given how many other Australian birds are present in collections.

 

[WhistlingKite24]

Yeah, I was interested by that as well. Do those combinations just work on a case-by-case basis or do most zoos just keep kookaburras separate out of cauti

Depends on the facility and individual animals involved but the most common mix I see for kookaburras in Australian zoos is with Tawny Frogmouths and Bush-Stone Curlews. Sometimes they are housed with possums and also in with larger waterbirds in a wetlands aviary type setup or with larger ground birds like bustards.

Why is that? Sort of surprising to hear given how many other Australian birds are present in collections.

In regards to lyrebirds, @MRJ summarised potential reasons due to their scarcity in another thread:

“Regarding keeping them they are a very large insectivorous bird that feeds on the ground but breeds in trees. You would need a very big planted aviary where they could forage on the ground and an unlimited supply of insects. Their continual scratching and foraging makes it difficult to maintain the plantings in the aviary. I would not say not difficult so much as demanding and beyond what many zoos would be prepared to invest.”

 

[WhistlingKite24]

Day 2, Part 3: Featherdale Wildlife Park – Crimson Chats to Saltwater Crocodiles:

The enclosures kept coming and coming with a labyrinth of bird aviaries. An exhibit dedicated to arid birds was up next with sparser furnishings but a central tree for coverage for a glorious Crimson Chat flitting about with a fantastic mix of small active birds like Painted Finches, Diamond Doves, Banded Lapwings, Pied Stilts, Bourke’s Parrots and Budgerigar. There was also a Chiming Wedgebill singing its heart out from the top of a log as I observed the chat as well. Related to whipbirds, this species has a five-tone descending call that travels far and from the first time you ever hear it, it’s unforgettable. Notably there was also a single Flock Bronzewing to complete this mix which is uncommon in captivity and gives Featherdale all three Phaps bronzewings on-display. There was a narrow side aviary to represent wet gullies that was densely planted with swampy grass with a lively group of Yellow-rumped Mannikins. If there ever was an underrated waxbill it would be these guys with their subtle colouration but they provide loads of interesting behaviour and nesting activity. The mannikins share the space with a small unsigned flock of King Quail that had two chicks, Star Finches and the best bird species in Featherdale in my opinion. The king of them all – the Purple-crowned Fairywren. The breeding males have a stunning black mask across the eyes that frame a bright purple crown. A shade of purple that left me in awe. As far as I know, Featherdale is the only zoo in Australia to have this species on-display but there are also small numbers in aviculture. Also, these seem to be the first photos of Purple-crowned Fairywren in the ZooChat gallery as an added bonus. A grassy quiet enclosure for snoozing Quokka and a small exhibit for a sleeping wombat provided a quick change from all the birds but I went back to the fairywren multiple times throughout my visit.

Purple-crowned Fairywren

Crimson Chat

Arid Birds Enclosure (quokka enclosure in background)

My absolute favourite aviary at Featherdale was dedicated to grassland birds. I arrived at feeding time and the keeper was throwing mealworms into the enclosure and there were lively flocks of a huge range of species – more of the stunning Crimson Chats along with finch fillers like the Diamond Firetails and Black-throated Finches. They were hopping around the aviary floor and along a barbed wire fence that had been added to the aviary for a nice touch of subtle rural theming. The pops of colours were provided by Turquoise Parrot and the shier Mulga Parrots that remained perched high in the aviary. A trio of Inland Dotterels were feasting on insects along with some bold Crested Bellbirds which were *much* larger in the flesh than I was expecting. This species – both males and females – were present in a few aviaries and are a great bird to house as a taxonomically unique species and a novel point of difference among the collection.

Crested Bellbird

Grasslands Aviary

There were other species that remained more around the perimeter during the smorgasbord of mealworms like Eurasian Skylarks which are a Featherdale speciality, Peaceful Doves, Striped Honeyeaters, another new species in the form of a Red-chested Buttonquail and much to my surprise - a Cinnamon Quail-thrush. I hadn’t seen any recent mention of this species at Featherdale but was very happy to see one among all the small active birds. I have had zero luck finding wild Spotted Quail-thrush in and around Brisbane so seeing this more arid quail-thrush species was a highlight. The fact that I was seeing so many birds that I’d never seen mixed together in such an engaging feeding display made it special. For anyone who thinks birds are boring or are not worth the time I’d tell them to watch the growing crowd that gathered around this aviary during feeding time.

Cinnamon Quail-thrush

Species Diversity of Grasslands Aviary

Contrasting these aviaries for drier birds was a row of lush but very small aviaries for a range of species. The first one had a mix of unseen Purple-crowned Fairywren, Rose-crowned Fruit Dove and the fourth buttonquail species seen at Featherdale being Red-backed Buttonquail. These were probably my favourite of the buttonquail with a really lovely rufous collar, yellow bill and buffy sides with black spots that was eye catching. The next aviary had Eastern Yellow Robin which is certainly not a common species in zoos, nesting Superb Fruit-Dove and Black-breasted Buttonquail. Finally there was an exhibit for an incredibly showy Forest Kingfisher which have the best shades of blue, more Eastern Yellow Robin but this time they were not seen and Luzon Bleeding-Heart Dove. Featherdale also maintain a colony of about a dozen Little Penguins in a pleasant beachy enclosure with a small pool. Again, surprisingly low barriers however. There was a Little Black Cormorant and Great Egret in their exhibit as well. How Australian zoos mix their little penguins is another continual point of interest – Perth Zoo for example have Bridled Terns in with their colony and smaller species of shark like Port Jackson and Brown-banded Bamboo Sharks remain popular among Aussie aquariums. For something a bit different, Melbourne Zoo had/has a large Sixspine Leatherjacket that was larger than their penguins which gave something for the general public to see through the underwater viewing as the penguins bobbed on the surface out of view as they tend to do.

Forest Kingfisher

Penguin enclosure

Little Penguins

As an ode to the coasts of the Kimberleys, there is a reddish mock-rock backed aviary housing an interesting array of birds. My eye caught sight of a Rainbow Bee-eater perched in full view. It reminded me that I didn’t see any of these bee-eaters at Taronga like I did in 2019 but at least Featherdale have them still. The bee-eaters are mixed with Peaceful Dove and White-breasted Woodswallow with the feeding tables filled with delightful Long-tailed and Double-barred Finches. Crimson Finch and Varied Lorikeet were signed but not seen. What seemed to be a juvenile Golden-shouldered Parrot was also in this particular aviary, attempting to confuse me while I was looking for lorikeets. I always feel Golden-shouldered Parrots should be part of some sort of more coordinated captive management especially considering how few of them seem to exist in the zoos within their home state in Queensland. They demonstrate striking sexual dimorphism with the males possessing a wonderful cyan, gold and black, are endangered, serve as strong parallel for the now-extinct Paradise Parrot, can create powerful in-situ educational opportunities through their need for termite mounds for nesting, and are available in aviculture. I know they can be a bit highly strung but they really should be more common in zoos than they actually are.

Rainbow Bee-eater

‘Birds of the Kimberly Coast’ aviary

I really liked the nearby sandy aviary for coastal birds with a pair of noisy Australian Pied Oystercatchers as the feature species for the exhibit. They were supported with chatty Elegant Parrots (was half expecting Rock Parrots), Superb Fairywren, White-breasted Woodswallows and Peaceful Doves. This mix brought me back to the beach towns of coastal Queensland with the doves and woodswallows always being a staple in these seaside communities especially. I can’t say there are too many aviaries themed around the smaller birds found around Australia’s seashores so credit should be given for a very creative display. A rocky enclosure for some Dingoes was noted being nearby as well.

Australian Pied Oystercatcher

Seashore Aviary

There was another row of three densely planted aviaries. These contained unseen Crested Bellbird, Gouldian Finch, Masked Lapwing, Squatter Pigeon and a pair of the stunning Golden-shouldered Parrots; the second aviary had Chiming Wedgebill, Red-backed Buttonquail, Chestnut-breasted Mannikin and unseen Crimson Finch; and aviary number three had Masked Finch, the always entertaining Spinifex Pigeon, Gouldian Finch, Diamond Dove, unseen Chiming Wedgebill and the conspicuous Hooded Parrot. I forgot to mention but if you look carefully at Featherdale’s masked lapwings they have both subspecies – the larger northern race with more prominent wattles, V. (miles) miles, and the southern race with the black-shoulders, V. (miles) novaehollandiae. They are increasingly being considered separate species. I cannot begin to imagine how many individual finches, buttonquails and lapwings are actually held at Featherdale – it must be a staggering number all up. This part concluded with an exhibit for a large Saltwater Crocodile before we head to the heart of Featherdale’s reptile collection.

Spinifex Pigeon

Finch Aviaries

Day 2, Part 4 will see a brief break from the birds as we explore Featherdale’s reptile house.

 

[Zoofan15]

Day 2, Part 3: Featherdale Wildlife Park – Crimson Chats to Saltwater Crocodiles:

The enclosures kept coming and coming with a labyrinth of bird aviaries. An exhibit dedicated to arid birds was up next with sparser furnishings but a central tree for coverage for a glorious Crimson Chat flitting about with a fantastic mix of small active birds like Painted Finches, Diamond Doves, Banded Lapwings, Pied Stilts, Bourke’s Parrots and Budgerigar. There was also a Chiming Wedgebill singing its heart out from the top of a log as I observed the chat as well. Related to whipbirds, this species has a five-tone descending call that travels far and from the first time you ever hear it, it’s unforgettable. Notably there was also a single Flock Bronzewing to complete this mix which is uncommon in captivity and gives Featherdale all three Phaps bronzewings on-display. There was a narrow side aviary to represent wet gullies that was densely planted with swampy grass with a lively group of Yellow-rumped Mannikins. If there ever was an underrated waxbill it would be these guys with their subtle colouration but they provide loads of interesting behaviour and nesting activity. The mannikins share the space with a small unsigned flock of King Quail that had two chicks, Star Finches and the best bird species in Featherdale in my opinion. The king of them all – the Purple-crowned Fairywren. The breeding males have a stunning black mask across the eyes that frame a bright purple crown. A shade of purple that left me in awe. As far as I know, Featherdale is the only zoo in Australia to have this species on-display but there are also small numbers in aviculture. Also, these seem to be the first photos of Purple-crowned Fairywren in the ZooChat gallery as an added bonus. A grassy quiet enclosure for snoozing Quokka and a small exhibit for a sleeping wombat provided a quick change from all the birds but I went back to the fairywren multiple times throughout my visit.

Purple-crowned Fairywren

Crimson Chat

Arid Birds Enclosure (quokka enclosure in background)

My absolute favourite aviary at Featherdale was dedicated to grassland birds. I arrived at feeding time and the keeper was throwing mealworms into the enclosure and there were lively flocks of a huge range of species – more of the stunning Crimson Chats along with finch fillers like the Diamond Firetails and Black-throated Finches. They were hopping around the aviary floor and along a barbed wire fence that had been added to the aviary for a nice touch of subtle rural theming. The pops of colours were provided by Turquoise Parrot and the shier Mulga Parrots that remained perched high in the aviary. A trio of Inland Dotterels were feasting on insects along with some bold Crested Bellbirds which were *much* larger in the flesh than I was expecting. This species – both males and females – were present in a few aviaries and are a great bird to house as a taxonomically unique species and a novel point of difference among the collection.

Crested Bellbird

Grasslands Aviary

There were other species that remained more around the perimeter during the smorgasbord of mealworms like Eurasian Skylarks which are a Featherdale speciality, Peaceful Doves, Striped Honeyeaters, another new species in the form of a Red-chested Buttonquail and much to my surprise - a Cinnamon Quail-thrush. I hadn’t seen any recent mention of this species at Featherdale but was very happy to see one among all the small active birds. I have had zero luck finding wild Spotted Quail-thrush in and around Brisbane so seeing this more arid quail-thrush species was a highlight. The fact that I was seeing so many birds that I’d never seen mixed together in such an engaging feeding display made it special. For anyone who thinks birds are boring or are not worth the time I’d tell them to watch the growing crowd that gathered around this aviary during feeding time.

Cinnamon Quail-thrush

Species Diversity of Grasslands Aviary

Contrasting these aviaries for drier birds was a row of lush but very small aviaries for a range of species. The first one had a mix of unseen Purple-crowned Fairywren, Rose-crowned Fruit Dove and the fourth buttonquail species seen at Featherdale being Red-backed Buttonquail. These were probably my favourite of the buttonquail with a really lovely rufous collar, yellow bill and buffy sides with black spots that was eye catching. The next aviary had Eastern Yellow Robin which is certainly not a common species in zoos, nesting Superb Fruit-Dove and Black-breasted Buttonquail. Finally there was an exhibit for an incredibly showy Forest Kingfisher which have the best shades of blue, more Eastern Yellow Robin but this time they were not seen and Luzon Bleeding-Heart Dove. Featherdale also maintain a colony of about a dozen Little Penguins in a pleasant beachy enclosure with a small pool. Again, surprisingly low barriers however. There was a Little Black Cormorant and Great Egret in their exhibit as well. How Australian zoos mix their little penguins is another continual point of interest – Perth Zoo for example have Bridled Terns in with their colony and smaller species of shark like Port Jackson and Brown-banded Bamboo Sharks remain popular among Aussie aquariums. For something a bit different, Melbourne Zoo had/has a large Sixspine Leatherjacket that was larger than their penguins which gave something for the general public to see through the underwater viewing as the penguins bobbed on the surface out of view as they tend to do.

Forest Kingfisher

Penguin enclosure

Little Penguins

As an ode to the coasts of the Kimberleys, there is a reddish mock-rock backed aviary housing an interesting array of birds. My eye caught sight of a Rainbow Bee-eater perched in full view. It reminded me that I didn’t see any of these bee-eaters at Taronga like I did in 2019 but at least Featherdale have them still. The bee-eaters are mixed with Peaceful Dove and White-breasted Woodswallow with the feeding tables filled with delightful Long-tailed and Double-barred Finches. Crimson Finch and Varied Lorikeet were signed but not seen. What seemed to be a juvenile Golden-shouldered Parrot was also in this particular aviary, attempting to confuse me while I was looking for lorikeets. I always feel Golden-shouldered Parrots should be part of some sort of more coordinated captive management especially considering how few of them seem to exist in the zoos within their home state in Queensland. They demonstrate striking sexual dimorphism with the males possessing a wonderful cyan, gold and black, are endangered, serve as strong parallel for the now-extinct Paradise Parrot, can create powerful in-situ educational opportunities through their need for termite mounds for nesting, and are available in aviculture. I know they can be a bit highly strung but they really should be more common in zoos than they actually are.

Rainbow Bee-eater

‘Birds of the Kimberly Coast’ aviary

I really liked the nearby sandy aviary for coastal birds with a pair of noisy Australian Pied Oystercatchers as the feature species for the exhibit. They were supported with chatty Elegant Parrots (was half expecting Rock Parrots), Superb Fairywren, White-breasted Woodswallows and Peaceful Doves. This mix brought me back to the beach towns of coastal Queensland with the doves and woodswallows always being a staple in these seaside communities especially. I can’t say there are too many aviaries themed around the smaller birds found around Australia’s seashores so credit should be given for a very creative display. A rocky enclosure for some Dingoes was noted being nearby as well.

Australian Pied Oystercatcher

Seashore Aviary

There was another row of three densely planted aviaries. These contained unseen Crested Bellbird, Gouldian Finch, Masked Lapwing, Squatter Pigeon and a pair of the stunning Golden-shouldered Parrots; the second aviary had Chiming Wedgebill, Red-backed Buttonquail, Chestnut-breasted Mannikin and unseen Crimson Finch; and aviary number three had Masked Finch, the always entertaining Spinifex Pigeon, Gouldian Finch, Diamond Dove, unseen Chiming Wedgebill and the conspicuous Hooded Parrot. I forgot to mention but if you look carefully at Featherdale’s masked lapwings they have both subspecies – the larger northern race with more prominent wattles, V. (miles) miles, and the southern race with the black-shoulders, V. (miles) novaehollandiae. They are increasingly being considered separate species. I cannot begin to imagine how many individual finches, buttonquails and lapwings are actually held at Featherdale – it must be a staggering number all up. This part concluded with an exhibit for a large Saltwater Crocodile before we head to the heart of Featherdale’s reptile collection.

Spinifex Pigeon

Finch Aviaries

Day 2, Part 4 will see a brief break from the birds as we explore Featherdale’s reptile house.

That’s a decent sized colony of Little penguins. I see they’ve had success in breeding them in the past (with five breeding pairs) and have the largest colony within a Sydney facility.

 

[WhistlingKite24]

Day 2, Part 4: Featherdale Wildlife Park – Huntsman Spiders to Olive Pythons:

Featherdale’s reptile house included an indoor row of glass-fronted exhibits that has a species range that is comparatively smaller than Taronga’s but still provides a solid representation of Australian reptiles in pleasing, well-landscaped exhibits ranging from small tanks for invertebrates to large indoor exhibits for a monitor, with a sleek polished finish. Prior to entering the building are two outdoor pond exhibits on either side near the entrance and exit. One contained Macquarie Turtle, Eastern Water Dragon and Eastern Water Skink and the other had Saw-shelled Turtle, more Eastern Water Dragon and Eastern Water Skink. Only the turtles in each enclosure were seen after a good search. Entering the building are a set of three walled tanks for spiders; one for Sydney Funnel-web Spider, one for a Huntsman Spider, Isopadella sp. and finally a Red-back Spider as well. I much preferred these naturalistic tanks with actual vegetation, substrate and coverage for the spiders over the urban-themed bare spider tanks at Taronga with assorted household paraphernalia. Up next were a row of five smallish tanks that were taller than they were wide. These covered a core group of small reptiles as representatives of a wide range of habitats. There was first a Common Death Adder with a good amount of leaf litter for coverage. It can become quite the game of ‘spot the death adder’ at most places but the well-camouflaged snake was sitting out in the open. Next up was a gorgeous exhibit for the threatened Broad-headed Snakes with some complex rocky ledges followed by a rainforest set up for a Boyd’s Forest Dragon which are a popular species to have in reptile houses, and for good reason, they are usually very visible and striking lizards. Next door was a Brown Tree Snake which is a nice choice to represent one of a limited range of colubrids that occur in Australia and the fifth exhibit housed unseen Eastern Pilbara Spiny-tailed Skink.

Common Death Adder

Row of Reptile Tanks

Opposite these tanks on the other side was an incredibly spacious enclosure for an Olive Python with raised rocky ledges and sturdy branches. The python would be able to be off the ground and use the various branches to get a good position at eye-level. There was then a row of spacious enclosures for a range of arid reptiles. They were all used to their full potential with complex furnishings providing three-dimensional spaces for the animals to utilise through raised branches, layered rockwork and deep caves that have room both underneath and above to use. The Centralian Python was the first species exhibited in this row along with a neighbouring Woma. Two solid choices.

Olive Python enclosure

Desert reptile enclosures

My favourite species in the reptile house were Centralian Blue-tongue Lizards that were up next which Featherdale have been breeding. They have these almost luminescent orange bands along the length of their body that complement a black stripe that surrounds the eye. A very impressive enclosure for Collett’s Snake was next as a very roomy exhibit for it with some tall grasses that added a nice aesthetic quality to the exhibit. It was followed by the obligatory Inland Taipan in one enclosure and a pair of Tiger Snakes – one striped and the other a uniform glossy black - in another enclosure. Opposite these exhibits was a large rainforest-themed exhibit for large pythons that neighboured the olive python. It was signed for Australian Scrub Python but all I could find were a pair of Jungle Carpet Pythons perched high on some vines.

Centralian Blue-tongue

There was also an urban-themed enclosure for a mix of Eastern Bearded Dragon and Eastern Bluetongue Lizards completed with a mini corrugated iron water tank and lots of wooden features. With these types of exhibits made to represent human-made environments as long as the furnishings add to the animal’s enclosure than I don’t mind. The lizards were certainly making the most of all the additional hiding opportunities and basking platforms created with all the wood and metal. Nearby was also an enclosure for Frilled Lizard and an exhibit under renovation with no animals. An indoor sandy exhibit was opposite these lizards and contained a single young Perentie to finish the reptile house with a finale. The photos I took of the enclosure create a two-dimensional, ‘flat’ looking result but I felt in person there was sufficient room for the growing monitor. There was a large cave and a sturdy branch if the monitor as well was feeling adventurous.

Perentie

General View of Reptile House

Overall – it’s not a huge reptile house but it doesn’t need to be as there is clearly some thought behind what’s on show and how they can maximise the range with limited space and resources. The only thing that would be nice is to have some frogs somewhere at the park I feel even if it’s a few tree frogs in with the forest dragon. They seemed to have some frogs on-show up until recently but not currently. Another point I would like to emphasise was that it was really great to see large pythons especially get generously-sized and complex spaces – that was particularly my favourite aspect of the reptile house.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Day 2, Part 5: Featherdale Wildlife Park – Quokkas to Crested Bellbirds:

Outside the reptile house, I was met with a large complex of macropod yards for a range of species. The first enclosure had an active group of Quokkas in a simple enclosure. There was also a large enclosure with a range of rock mounds and trees for a breeding group of Brush-tailed Rock-Wallabies that made for such a dynamic display with at least two young joeys. The joeys swiftly bounded up a tree, and while it’s not the first exhibit that I’ve seen with trees which rock-wallabies readily use, it’s just as amusing. It tends to confuse the visitors a bit thinking they are tree kangaroos. The macropods continued with a large yard for Eastern Grey Kangaroo, Bennett’s Wallaby and a Parma Wallaby or two as well. Again, a pretty standard macropod yard; nothing particular noteworthy but still a decent size.

Brush-tailed Rock-Wallaby

Rock wallaby enclosure

There were also a few bird aviaries as expected; a large aviary for the established pair of Powerful Owls pictured a few posts above, one for the entertaining White-winged Choughs and the only walkthrough aviary in the entire park which is only open for a few hours a day. It contained Rainbow Lorikeet and Laughing Kookaburra, clearly geared towards giving international tourists an up-close look at some of the avian staples. To be honest, I didn’t miss having several walkthrough aviaries. The birds were still quite visible in all the individual aviaries and allowed the birds to have all the enclosure space to themselves. Continuing on the path with all the kangaroos, was a pleasant little enclosure for Silver Gull and the absolute giant Pacific Gull. I watched a Pacific Gull put a comparatively miniscule Silver Gull in its place with a quick nip that sent it to the back of the enclosure. Very impressive bird. Past more Quokkas, the nearby main walkthrough enclosure had Kangaroo Island Kangaroo and a small group of rather flighty Common Wallaroos. KI Kangaroos are not the kangaroo of choice in Queensland zoos so I enjoy seeing these chocolate-coloured kangaroos whenever I visit the southern zoos. An unsigned Cape Barren Goose was also present but the signed Eastern Grey Kangaroos were not seen in this particular enclosure. The nearby Emus were not in the walkthrough space as they traditionally are in Australian zoos but in a fenced-off enclosure with a single Brush-tailed Rock-Wallaby.

Powerful Owl Aviary

Seagull Enclosure

Pacific Gull

There were some raptor aviaries past the kangaroos and wallabies with several Black-breasted Buzzards including a pair with a large old nest in the corner of one of the aviaries. Even more excitingly to see were a pair of Eastern Osprey which is a very unusual sight for an Australian zoo. The ospreys were really interesting to observe up close as they were consuming a fishy treat. There were a few ‘loose end’ exhibits as well – a yard for Golden Pheasant, one for Black-necked Stork, Radjah Shelduck and Great Egret and a large barn space and visitor walkthrough for a range of domestic animals.

Eastern Osprey

Osprey Aviary

The final main exhibit in this section besides the first of several exhibits for Tiger Quoll, was a large and well-stocked aviary that sat right near all the domestic animals. It was themed around birds of the mallee region with its feature species having to be the impressive Malleefowl. There has been a renewed interest among a few Australian zoos (Kyabram Fauna Park, Darling Downs Zoo etc) to get the numbers of Malleefowl up in captivity so hopefully they don’t remain such an uncommon sight as they are very attention-grabbing birds especially due to their sheer size and activity. Once you look a little closer, the initially drab plumage reveals a delicate yet boldly patterned sequence of feathers. It's up there as one of my favourite all time Aussie birds.

Malleefowl with Zebra Finches and Crested Bellbird

The malleefowl are mixed with a whole host of species with the most noticeable being a large flock of Zebra Finches that add the noise and activity. Like the budgies earlier, there’s a reason why they are so popular. There were more of the Crested Bellbirds and they probably showed the best in this aviary, Common Bronzewing, Pied Stilt, White-cheeked Honeyeater, a small flock of active Black-faced Woodswallows and a single Spotted Bowerbird that was maintaining an impressive bower while it was interacting with a goat that had approached the mesh for a closer look. Finally, a flock of Purple-crowned Lorikeets was the cherry on top of a fantastic mix and provided an outstanding array of colour in such a small pintsized package. They looked wonderful in a large group with lots of activity surrounding their nest hollow.

Purple-crowned Lorikeets

Mallee Aviary

Day 2, Part 6 will see us conclude the small but mighty Featherdale Wildlife Park, rounding off the bird collection with a tree roo along the way, plus final overall reflections. Then it’s onto the new and shiny Sydney Zoo.

 

[WhistlingKite24]

Day 2, Part 6: Featherdale Wildlife Park – Egyptian Geese to Silvereyes:

The final stretch of the park continued with a humble yard for a pair of Egyptian Geese which are a very uncommon species in Australian zoos. You can tell that Featherdale carefully selects its exotic bird species to assist to maintain a viable population within zoos due to import restrictions. Behind the geese is a row of aviaries that are well-hidden for Plains-Wanderer. Even though it would probably be near impossible to see them due to the distance and fencing, it’s the closest you could ever get to seeing these birds in a zoo setting currently as all of the facilities (Taronga, Taronga Western Plains Zoo, Monarto and Werribee) that have them keep them all off-show for breeding purposes as they do release their progeny into the wild and their overall very cryptic nature. Featherdale experienced their first breeding success with them this year and will hopefully continue to support this incredibly unique species. The row of yards continued for Southern Cassowary, one for Golden Pheasant and one for a mix of Radjah Shelduck and Magpie Goose. There were a large set of aviary-style exhibits as well dotted around the furthest corner of the park with three enclosures for Tiger Quolls, an unseen mix of Yellow-bellied Glider and Southern Brown Bandicoot and an also unseen mix of Golden Brushtail Possum and Long-nosed Potoroo. Some really nice species here that I imagine would need some patience to see; at least they got some really roomy exhibits outdoors. There was also an open-topped enclosure for a pair of Brolga as well.

Yellow-bellied Glider/Bandicoot enclosure

Brolga

Featherdale has a second species of rock-wallaby as well; there was a large enclosure for a large mob of Yellow-footed Rock-Wallabies. They were kept in an open, rocky exhibit and it’s great to compare both species as they were another viewing area nearby for the Brush-tailed Rock-Wallabies as well. There was a very large waterbird aviary with another pair of Brolga with a supporting cast of waterbirds like Royal Spoonbill, Cattle Egret, Nankeen Night-Heron and Radjah Shelduck along with some fillers like Masked Lapwing and Australian Magpie. Nankeen Kestrel was another interesting addition to this aviary; seems like kestrels can be mixed with more species than I expected. I don’t think I’ve ever seen brolgas in an aviary before; they are traditionally housed in open-topped enclosures so seeing them in a mixed aviary with smaller birds like this made me appreciate this display even more. A small row of five aviaries opposite the brolgas contained some interesting species; aviary one had Pheasant Coucal, Chestnut Rail and Apostlebird, aviary two had a personal favourite being the Blue-winged Kookaburra with unseen Masked Lapwing, the third aviary had Grey-crowned Babbler and Banded Lapwing with a young chick, the fourth aviary had Sacred Kingfisher, Spotted Bowerbird and more Banded Lapwing and the final display had Bush Stone-Curlew and Pheasant Coucal. A few comments on the species housed here – the babblers make for a fun display as this species practices communal roosting meaning a large portion of their day is taken up by collecting nesting material. The Blue-winged Kookaburra is simply a species I do not see enough of as well.

Grey-crowned Babbler

Blue-winged Kookaburra

Speaking of mixed waterbird displays, there was a second very large aviary for a proven breeding pair of Black-necked Storks who produced their first three chicks in 2021. These storks rarely breed in Australian zoos with chicks only having been produced at Wildlife Habitat Port Douglas, Gorge Wildlife Park and Featherdale Wildlife Park as far as I know. Like the brolgas the storks are housed with a large diverse mix of species including a flock of Red-collared Lorikeets, unseen Channel-billed Cuckoo, more Pheasant Coucal of which there are lots of Featherdale if you haven’t noticed already, Masked Lapwing, Cattle Egrets and a flock of noisy Plumed Whistling-Ducks. We don’t have flamingos in Australia as most of you would know but these large mixed aviaries with brolgas or storks certainly provided access to the next best thing; noisy, attention-grabbing displays centred around a very large feature species with a supporting range of waterbirds to create a flocking effect.

Black-necked Stork

There were enclosures for more Australian zoo staples like Southern Cassowary, Short-beaked Echidna, Tasmanian Devil and Tiger Quoll nearby as well in the general vicinity in the shadier areas of the park. There was also a nearby exhibit that had a very active Goodfellow’s Tree-Kangaroo in what looks to be a converted old enclosure that wasn’t initially designed for a tree roo with a mock rock mound. It was certainly fit for purpose with some really sturdy branches at a range of heights. Also having seen how a tree kangaroo can hop on the ground with great force and speed at other zoos, the amount of floor space would certainly be of great use. Featherdale’s current tree kangaroo was bred at Perth Zoo in 2017 and is one of several Australian zoos that have unpaired young males currently due to a lack of females in the Australian population.

Tree-kangaroo enclosure

Goodfellow’s Tree-Kangaroo

The final set of exhibits to cover at Featherdale is a row of nine parrot aviaries that allow the zoo to manage a range of mainly cockatoos and parrots. The first aviary had a mix of Pale-headed Rosella and Sulphur-crested Cockatoo. Up next were black cockatoos. But these were just any old generic zoo-mix black cockatoos but Forest Red-tailed Black Cockatoo – the threatened south-west Western Australian subspecies with a much more prominent bill compared to other subspecies. The pair of black cockatoos lived with an equally unique parrot being the Cloncurry Ringneck – a subspecies of the highly variable Australian Ringneck. While they were not the tallest aviaries that certainly had a good width which isn’t really apparent from the photo below.

Parrot Row

Cloncurry Ringneck

Aviary number three had Greater Bluebonnet being a very unique parrot species with a really interesting colour palette with an olive-brown colouration with a rich purply-blue and some yellow-red accents as well. Featherdale had both Yellow-vented and Red-vented Bluebonnets so it seemed based on the golden and red shoulder colours on different birds in different aviaries – the Yellow-vents were definitely signed as such. The bluebonnet in the third aviary was mixed with a pair of Galahs. The fourth aviary had a pair of Glossy Black-Cockatoos which was followed by more Greater Bluebonnet mixed with Major Mitchell’s Cockatoo in aviary number five. The following aviary had more Forest Red-tailed Black Cockatoo and this time were mixed with a Northern Rosella. The last three aviaries had more Greater Bluebonnet in one, Gang-gang Cockatoo in another and finished with a mix of Bush Stone-Curlew and Northern Rosella. Lots of unusual parrots and cockatoos here! To conclude the final aviary was quietly tucked away near one of the exits with a lovely little mix with Australia's version of a hummingbird - the Eastern Spinebill, Superb Fairywren, Painted Buttonquail, Red-browed Finch and Silvereye. More of the little delightful bush birds.

Northern Rosella

Greater Bluebonnet

Concluding Thoughts:

Featherdale’s biggest strength is its depth and breadth of mainly Australian species with a prominent accent of birds all jam packed into a small suburban site. It wouldn’t surprise me if this park is singlehandedly maintaining many of the bird species it houses and it clearly maximises its aviary space to sensibly manage and maintain large populations of individual species. It also has sizeable populations of the managed species through ZAA – aviaries filled to the brim with Noisy Pittas, Regent Bowerbirds and Rose-crowned Fruit-Doves especially - which can only be of benefit to the overall captive management of these birds in Australian facilities. It’s a reservoir of captive birds as the closest thing to a Walsrode of Australia.

Some may say it’s a stamp collection at times but I think it’s the themed aviaries especially based on diverse Australian habitats – from rainforest to coasts to deserts to open forest – that carefully allow Featherdale to craft an experience that reflects Australia’s rich avifauna sensibly and creatively. There are other bright spots at Featherdale and birds shouldn’t overshadow what is an excellent little reptile house and a sizeable range of macropods in particular. Featherdale is not simply recommended; it’s a must visit for the zoo nerd if in the Sydney area.

Day 2, Part 7 will see us explore the collection of exotic animals at Sydney Zoo before a walkthrough of their Australian area including its combined reptile and nocturnal house, and then later on, the zoo’s aquarium.

 

[snowleopard]

Thanks for the highly detailed review of Featherdale Wildlife Park. I know someone who recently visited and they spent 90 minutes at the facility, and the zoo's own website states this: "we recommend around TWO hours to see our enormous collection of Australian animals". The zoo is only 3 hectares/8 acres in size, but your review is so phenomenal that I was expecting an all-day zoo!

In your case, with your extensive list of species, exceptional photos, and attention to detail, I can bet that you spent far more than 90 or 120 minutes at Featherdale. However, typing up your 6-part review probably took you a lot longer than your time spent at Australia's 'Walsrode'. Thanks for the effort and I'm looking forward to your review of the establishment just a few minutes down the road...Sydney Zoo. One would think that having two mid-sized zoos right on top of each other would be perfect, allowing tourists to visit one in the morning and one in the afternoon, but Featherdale took up legal action against Sydney Zoo in 2019 and I'm not sure how everything finished up. It would be fascinating to see the annual reports and attendance figures of each zoo, to see if they complement each other well or if Featherdale took a major financial hit after Sydney Zoo opened to the public.

 

[Zoofan15]

One would think that having two mid-sized zoos right on top of each other would be perfect, allowing tourists to visit one in the morning and one in the afternoon, but Featherdale took up legal action against Sydney Zoo in 2019 and I'm not sure how everything finished up. It would be fascinating to see the annual reports and attendance figures of each zoo, to see if they complement each other well or if Featherdale took a major financial hit after Sydney Zoo opened to the public.

This was the agreement made by Sydney Zoo re. Featherdale:

Sydney Zoo is not to offer a "koala interaction experience", its animals must be two-thirds "exotic species" upon opening, and the zoo must vary the type of animal encounters it offers to set its native wildlife apart from that of Featherdale.

Sydney Zoo to take on neighbouring Featherdale Wildlife Park in Western Sydney Parklands

From what I can tell, the two attractions very much compliment each other. Featherdale has a heavy focus on natives, while Sydney Zoo has an emphasis on exotics.

Outside of NSW, I doubt the general public have heard of Featherdale (despite it’s impressive collection). Taronga remains the premier attraction with regards to international following and presumably this is reflected in visitor numbers.

 

[steveroberts]

@Zoofan15

Good point and thanks for posting info about that (I reckon they both compliment one another too and like the fact there is two good animal parks people can visit in the Blacktown area either on the same day or different times). I remember when that went down with Syd' Zoo and Featherdale (can't remember if there was discourse with Taronga too or I might be having a Mandela (rip the legend he was) effect memory about Taronga and Syd' Zoo).

Actually completely believe that Featherdale is probably largely unknown outside of NSW like you said; sad to admit this but as a long term Sydneysider only personally learnt of Featherdale's existance in 1998 after already living in Sydney for 4 years by that point, in comparison knew of Taronga, Sydney Aquarium and Oceanworld before even moving to Sydney and learnt of Koala Park Sanctuary (rundown to the max that place but been around for about 90 years now) and the now closed Waratah Park and Bluegum Farm knew about them within a year of living in Sydney (and visited Bluegum and Koala Park during that time period too, Wonderland had a wildlife park in their grounds too). It was only exploring a Sydney street directory as an 8 or 9 year old that saw the name Featherdale for the first time (and first saw a television commercial for a year or so later, personally visiting Featherdale did not happen until 2005).

But then lyears later after making some friends who grew up in the western suburbs of Syd' came to discover for a lot of greater western Sydneysiders there is a lot of nostalgic memories of going to Featherdale growing up of course, but a lot of people referring to it with fondness. So am glad that Sydney Zoo is working alongside Featherdale with some concessions for Featherdale's sake (complimenting one-another like you put it is perfect way of describing) and glad Sydney Zoo's now three + years of existing has not bankrupted Featherdale which is about 50 years old now. Also funnily enough in the same end of 2019 timeframe that Syd' Zoo opened its doors to visitors was the same time that Featherdale purchased Mogo Zoo from Sally Padey and some time after Hunter Valley Zoo so technically Featherdale is now in the exotic animal business too, just not at their titular/flagship/original site.

Did notice looking at Sydney Zoo's species list is it definitely still is more than a third native Australian species.

 

[Zoofan15]

@Zoofan15

Good point and thanks for posting info about that (I reckon they both compliment one another too and like the fact there is two good animal parks people can visit in the Blacktown area either on the same day or different times). I remember when that went down with Syd' Zoo and Featherdale (can't remember if there was discourse with Taronga too or I might be having a Mandela (rip the legend he was) effect memory about Taronga and Syd' Zoo).

Actually completely believe that Featherdale is probably largely unknown outside of NSW like you said; sad to admit this but as a long term Sydneysider only personally learnt of Featherdale's existance in 1998 after already living in Sydney for 4 years by that point, in comparison knew of Taronga, Sydney Aquarium and Oceanworld before even moving to Sydney and learnt of Koala Park Sanctuary (rundown to the max that place but been around for about 90 years now) and the now closed Waratah Park and Bluegum Farm knew about them within a year of living in Sydney (and visited Bluegum and Koala Park during that time period too, Wonderland had a wildlife park in their grounds too). It was only exploring a Sydney street directory as an 8 or 9 year old that saw the name Featherdale for the first time (and first saw a television commercial for a year or so later, personally visiting Featherdale did not happen until 2005).

But then lyears later after making some friends who grew up in the western suburbs of Syd' came to discover for a lot of greater western Sydneysiders there is a lot of nostalgic memories of going to Featherdale growing up of course, but a lot of people referring to it with fondness. So am glad that Sydney Zoo is working alongside Featherdale with some concessions for Featherdale's sake (complimenting one-another like you put it is perfect way of describing) and glad Sydney Zoo's now three + years of existing has not bankrupted Featherdale which is about 50 years old now. Also funnily enough in the same end of 2019 timeframe that Syd' Zoo opened its doors to visitors was the same time that Featherdale purchased Mogo Zoo from Sally Padey and some time after Hunter Valley Zoo so technically Featherdale is now in the exotic animal business too, just not at their titular/flagship/original site.

Did notice looking at Sydney Zoo's species list is it definitely still is more than a third native Australian species.

The number of small zoos/wildlife parks in Australia dedicated either solely or predominantly to native wildlife by far exceeds those centralised around exotics. Due to Australia’s vast array of diverse fauna, this is relatively uncommon in other countries - but consequently makes it difficult for individual facilities to stand out.

Talking to non zoo people (i.e. the general public) that have visited Australia, there’s only three native centric facilities I hear consistently mentioned:

1) Australia Zoo - Home of the Irwins
2) Dreamworld - Where they saw a white tiger
3) Currumbin - Where they saw the most birds they’d ever seen

 

[steveroberts]

@Zoofan15

Thats interesting (and makes sense, though as you can imagine I despair that they are the only ones, and lol about Dreamworld, I didnt even know they had a wildlife park section until three years ago).

I think once upon a time David Fleay's Wildlife Park & Lone Pine Koalas Sanctuary were 'on the map' for international visitors to (southern) Queensland. Healesville Sanctuary was 'on the map' for international tourists to Victoria and the Koala Park Sanctuary and Eric Worrell's Australian Reptile Park (as was called for nearly 30 years at the old Wyoming/Nth Gosford site) were 'on the map' for many international vistors to the greater Sydney region of NSW.

 

[steveroberts]

@WhistlingKite24

Amazing photos and awesome review.

Wow thats at least 150 species of birds..incredible! 'Featherdale' indeed.

 

[WhistlingKite24]

Day 2, Part 7: Sydney Zoo – Primate Boulevard, Asia and Africa:

I wasn’t completely sold on the idea of visiting Sydney Zoo but as I was finishing up at Featherdale around midday I thought as it’s only a mere seven minutes away, it was worth going to for the afternoon and I didn’t know the next time I’d be in the area. Opened in December 2019, Sydney Zoo is a large, mainly ABC-animal focussed facility targeted at the families of Western Sydney with a pretty comprehensive range of species minus birds by Australian standards. Possessing a larger collection of exotic mammals than Taronga and being in such close proximity to Featherdale, the zoo has certainly ruffled a few feathers and received mixed reviews on here, so I was curious to see what the place was actually like. From what I had seen in pictures and species lists, the two areas that I would focus most of my time would be the combined reptile/nocturnal house and the aquarium. It’s not common for a large Australian zoo to have an aquarium and even rarer to have one mainly dedicated to freshwater species. Oh and they have hyena! I’d always wanted to see hyena as there are none in Queensland zoos currently and had never come across them in my travels. Nyala was also on the list as well as a ‘must-see species’, being my favourite antelope species even though I'd never seen one.

Upon arrival, I soon realised how different Featherdale and Sydney Zoo are; a flashy modern entry with large banners of their main crowd pullers juxtaposed the modest little nook you enter at Featherdale. There is a large carpark that was filled to the brim with cars and prams and the whole thing is quite the sizeable operation. This zoo has space and uses it well with a flat open entranceway meaning the large crowds efficiently pass through and you’re into the zoo quickly. The entrance leads directly into the Primate Boulevard where the zoo smartly places the active primates right at the front of the zoo, allowing for several energetic displays.

Entrance

Primate Boulevard

The first open air enclosure had a group of about seven Capybara including a young pup. Sometimes I have to remind myself that there was a period of time pre-2013 where there was no capybara in Australia; hard to believe now with so many current holders. Like meerkats, they look better and are far more interesting to watch in groups rather than pairs or trios. The exhibit has a nice body of water that the capybara could access with lots of land space as well. The exhibit is furnished as if a primate species also occupied the exhibit and indeed the capybara used to be mixed with capuchins. I’m not sure what the plan is for the new squirrel monkeys but it would certainly be logical to place them with the capybaras as there is sizeable arboreal space that is not being used currently. Next to the capybara, is a rocky enclosure for a group of Hamadryas Baboons. Originally imported from Singapore Zoo, the baboons are breeding very well and two distinct harems have been established with a subadult male causing a bit of trouble as I watched one of the adult males chase him around the exhibit a few times. I arrived during a scatter feed and enjoyed watching such a large troop especially the infants as they clambered up the platforms and swung across the exhibit with the ropes. Give baboons height and they certainly will use it. Opposite the capybaras and baboons, were two similarly-sized exhibits; the first contained Chimpanzees that were imported from Germany. It’s not as large as Taronga’s but seems to be of a decent size with a good number of opportunities for the chimps to observe their surroundings from varying heights and climb high. They were some decent hammocks that the chimps were actively using as well. The Black-capped Capuchins were housed next-door and are a large youthful group that mainly derived from Shoalhaven Zoo. Overall some decent moated exhibits; a bit light on vegetation overall but that’s to be expected with primates.

Capybara Enclosure

Hamadryas Baboon infant

Commencing the section themed around Asian species was a large narrow exhibit that was moated with an impressive pool. This housed a pair of ageing Hybrid Tigers, Charlie and Mika from Australia Zoo which according to a regular visitor only arrived the previous Wednesday. It was later announced that three had arrived but only the two mentioned were on display. The tigers remained well-hidden until late afternoon in some of the bamboo that fringed their exhibit. Generally, there is a lot of mowed grass in the enclosure limiting opportunities for privacy especially when you consider visitors can see the entire length, front to back, of the exhibit from the path. Continuing along there is a large sloping exhibit with two main pools of water with a small rocky stream that runs parallel to the main water body. The occupants were some well-hidden Asian Small-clawed Otters that were enticed out when a keeper brought out some prawns. The zoo currently has a potential breeding pair – Intan and Saigon. A keeper was saying mating had been observed but no offspring have resulted. Whilst not the deepest pool I’ve seen for them it was certainly one of the more pleasant and larger otter enclosures I’ve seen.

Tiger Enclosure - front view

Otter Enclosure (red pandas next-door)

The otters were housed close to two exhibits for Red Pandas. They were nice and leafy with a good amount of tree coverage though they were on the smaller side. I also saw a single panda in one of the exhibits but Sydney Zoo have since acquired a female from Altina Wildlife Park meaning they have a 1.1 pair currently. The nearby complex for Asian Elephants comprises of a small barn with three main stalls and two similarly-sized exhibits; one of which contained a decent pool. It’s not a huge complex but when opened up its an acceptable size for the zoo’s two young bulls that were imported from Dublin Zoo. It was admirable to see a few protected plants in the pool exhibit to soften the harsh lines slightly as well. The elephant bulls were separated the first time around but on the second lap were mixed together engaging in a sparring session. I’m not the biggest elephant person but I must say I find bull elephants much more engaging to watch than a few cows. Past a closed-off second tiger enclosure was the exhibit for their three Sumatran Orangutans. The exhibit had three main tall platforms connected with ropes and a o-line allowing them to venture out of the enclosure. It's not as extensive as Auckland’s one but still good to see they had access to this choice. What’s also interesting is that from the chimp exhibit you would technically be able to see the orangs if they were on the network of cables. There was also a side indoor glass-fronted day room with awful reflection. All three orangs were very visible and great to watch. So overall – some big Asian megafauna and popular small mammals housed in mainly good enclosures.

Asian Elephant enclosure

Asian Elephants

Orangutan enclosure

The African portion of the zoo has a few enclosures peppered around the place before the main boardwalk; there was an isolated exhibit for Meerkats near the chimps, a mix of more Meerkats and this time two Cape Porcupine near the café and a long paddock for Dromedary. There was a lot of construction and keeper activity in a portion of land near the dromedaries. It has been fenced off and seemed to be a new enclosure being constructed with three small pools and new plantings along with a hut-like shelter. Moving on, the boardwalk commences that wraps around most of the exhibits for the African animals. I’ve never been a fan of looking down at animals as you do with a raised boardwalk and I must say this was something I didn’t particularly enjoy. Also, some of the black fencing created some very ugly sightlines throughout the path. That said, all of the enclosures were of a decent size, had varied topographies and housed a pretty comprehensive range of African species for a non-open range zoo in Australia. Minus the view, it certainly provided a more varied experience that Taronga’s complex for five African species.

New construction near dromedaries

Boardwalk

While the raised boardwalk experience isn’t my favourite way to view animals, at least it was spacious, shaded in some parts for prolonged viewing and allowed plenty of room for visitors. The first enclosure viewed from the boardwalk was for a pair of male Cheetah that are originally from Monarto Safari Park. The enclosure for three impressively-maned Lions was up next with a roomy exhibit with a grove of trees that lined the back of the exhibits. The bottom part of the enclosure underneath the boardwalk is meshed but some parts are opened up between paths and corridors, meaning the lions would definitely be able to smell, hear and see at times its neighbours that surround their exhibit. There were flocks of wild Red-browed Finches that were flitting about near the pride; the lions remained unfazed.

Lion

Lion enclosure

Opposite the lions on the other side of the boardwalk stretched their mix of hoofstock that was segmented with carefully placed logs and rocks to separate off species for now. The first portion of the exhibit had three Giraffe and three Plains Zebra. One of the giraffes – a male from Perth – only arrived the other week and was already in with the two females and zebras. The zoo mainly used a barrier of boulders to protect taller vegetation and trees from their herbivores. Past the stripes and spots was a middle ‘buffer zone’ creating a narrow holding space for four male subadult Nyala that were recently transferred from Werribee Open Range Zoo. There are only three zoos in Australia with this species currently so it was a real treat to see these striking antelopes. The nyala had access to this space and some were also lingering near the neighbouring enclosure for the zoo’s only Southern White Rhinoceros that came from Orana Wildlife Park. The rhino was rolling around in the mud and then got up to do a quick run around the exhibit, snorting and grunting noisily. This sent the nyala into a bit of a panic and they all retreated to their shelter. The zoo advertises him well as Sydney’s only rhino and he is clearly a very popular animal as a crowd gathered around to watch his antics. A major and explicit point of difference to Taronga from the perspective of the general public.

Giraffe/Zebra enclosure

Rhino/Nyala enclosure

Nyala

Opposite the rhino was a hilly grassy enclosure for Spotted Hyena which were snoozing in a large shelter. Really great to see this species. I suddenly saw that a large carcass had just been placed in the final exhibit. A flurry of twitters and chirps revealed a large active group of seven African Wild Dogs feasting away. This really set off all of the nearby carnivores into high alert – the lions were moving around down towards the barrier following the sound and the hyenas were watching from a distance as they have full view of the wild dogs from a higher vantage point. The wild dog enclosure itself had more shelter and vegetation than the other exhibits and a part of it was not viewed via a boardwalk. So overall thoughts – it's pretty good range of exotic mammals probably only really missing a few more primates like lemurs, callitrichids and a small felid/binturong if you’re lucky for an Australian zoo as the glaring omissions overall. Most of the exhibits have ‘softened’ since opening mainly due to the vegetation growth but largely felt smaller than they actually were due to often awkward viewing opportunities from above or afar. Overall, not the strongest part of the zoo (that’s for later on) but still pleasant and it presented more cohesive and more spacious displays than Taronga’s megafauna I felt.

African Hunting Dog carcass feed

Hunting Dog enclosure

Day 2, Part 8 will tour Sydney Zoo’s Australian precinct including their combined reptile and nocturnal house.

 

[Zoofan15]

Day 2, Part 7: Sydney Zoo – Primate Boulevard, Asia and Africa:

I wasn’t completely sold on the idea of visiting Sydney Zoo but as I was finishing up at Featherdale around midday I thought as it’s only a mere seven minutes away, it was worth going to for the afternoon and I didn’t know the next time I’d be in the area. Opened in December 2019, Sydney Zoo is a large, mainly ABC-animal focussed facility targeted at the families of Western Sydney with a pretty comprehensive range of species minus birds by Australian standards. Possessing a larger collection of exotic mammals than Taronga and being in such close proximity to Featherdale, the zoo has certainly ruffled a few feathers and received mixed reviews on here, so I was curious to see what the place was actually like. From what I had seen in pictures and species lists, the two areas that I would focus most of my time would be the combined reptile/nocturnal house and the aquarium. It’s not common for a large Australian zoo to have an aquarium and even rarer to have one mainly dedicated to freshwater species. Oh and they have hyena! I’d always wanted to see hyena as there are none in Queensland zoos currently and had never come across them in my travels. Nyala was also on the list as well as a ‘must-see species’, being my favourite antelope species even though I'd never seen one.

Upon arrival, I soon realised how different Featherdale and Sydney Zoo are; a flashy modern entry with large banners of their main crowd pullers juxtaposed the modest little nook you enter at Featherdale. There is a large carpark that was filled to the brim with cars and prams and the whole thing is quite the sizeable operation. This zoo has space and uses it well with a flat open entranceway meaning the large crowds efficiently pass through and you’re into the zoo quickly. The entrance leads directly into the Primate Boulevard where the zoo smartly places the active primates right at the front of the zoo, allowing for several energetic displays.

Entrance

Primate Boulevard

The first open air enclosure had a group of about seven Capybara including a young pup. Sometimes I have to remind myself that there was a period of time pre-2013 where there was no capybara in Australia; hard to believe now with so many current holders. Like meerkats, they look better and are far more interesting to watch in groups rather than pairs or trios. The exhibit has a nice body of water that the capybara could access with lots of land space as well. The exhibit is furnished as if a primate species also occupied the exhibit and indeed the capybara used to be mixed with capuchins. I’m not sure what the plan is for the new squirrel monkeys but it would certainly be logical to place them with the capybaras as there is sizeable arboreal space that is not being used currently. Next to the capybara, is a rocky enclosure for a group of Hamadryas Baboons. Originally imported from Singapore Zoo, the baboons are breeding very well and two distinct harems have been established with a subadult male causing a bit of trouble as I watched one of the adult males chase him around the exhibit a few times. I arrived during a scatter feed and enjoyed watching such a large troop especially the infants as they clambered up the platforms and swung across the exhibit with the ropes. Give baboons height and they certainly will use it. Opposite the capybaras and baboons, were two similarly-sized exhibits; the first contained Chimpanzees that were imported from Germany. It’s not as large as Taronga’s but seems to be of a decent size with a good number of opportunities for the chimps to observe their surroundings from varying heights and climb high. They were some decent hammocks that the chimps were actively using as well. The Black-capped Capuchins were housed next-door and are a large youthful group that mainly derived from Shoalhaven Zoo. Overall some decent moated exhibits; a bit light on vegetation overall but that’s to be expected with primates.

Capybara Enclosure

Hamadryas Baboon infant

Commencing the section themed around Asian species was a large narrow exhibit that was moated with an impressive pool. This housed a pair of ageing Hybrid Tigers, Charlie and Mika from Australia Zoo which according to a regular visitor only arrived the previous Wednesday. It was later announced that three had arrived but only the two mentioned were on display. The tigers remained well-hidden until late afternoon in some of the bamboo that fringed their exhibit. Generally, there is a lot of mowed grass in the enclosure limiting opportunities for privacy especially when you consider visitors can see the entire length, front to back, of the exhibit from the path. Continuing along there is a large sloping exhibit with two main pools of water with a small rocky stream that runs parallel to the main water body. The occupants were some well-hidden Asian Small-clawed Otters that were enticed out when a keeper brought out some prawns. The zoo currently has a potential breeding pair – Intan and Saigon. A keeper was saying mating had been observed but no offspring have resulted. Whilst not the deepest pool I’ve seen for them it was certainly one of the more pleasant and larger otter enclosures I’ve seen.

Tiger Enclosure - front view

Otter Enclosure (red pandas next-door)

The otters were housed close to two exhibits for Red Pandas. They were nice and leafy with a good amount of tree coverage though they were on the smaller side. I also saw a single panda in one of the exhibits but Sydney Zoo have since acquired a female from Altina Wildlife Park meaning they have a 1.1 pair currently. The nearby complex for Asian Elephants comprises of a small barn with three main stalls and two similarly-sized exhibits; one of which contained a decent pool. It’s not a huge complex but when opened up its an acceptable size for the zoo’s two young bulls that were imported from Dublin Zoo. It was admirable to see a few protected plants in the pool exhibit to soften the harsh lines slightly as well. The elephant bulls were separated the first time around but on the second lap were mixed together engaging in a sparring session. I’m not the biggest elephant person but I must say I find bull elephants much more engaging to watch than a few cows. Past a closed-off second tiger enclosure was the exhibit for their three Sumatran Orangutans. The exhibit had three main tall platforms connected with ropes and a o-line allowing them to venture out of the enclosure. It's not as extensive as Auckland’s one but still good to see they had access to this choice. What’s also interesting is that from the chimp exhibit you would technically be able to see the orangs if they were on the network of cables. There was also a side indoor glass-fronted day room with awful reflection. All three orangs were very visible and great to watch. So overall – some big Asian megafauna and popular small mammals housed in mainly good enclosures.

Asian Elephant enclosure

Asian Elephants

Orangutan enclosure

The African portion of the zoo has a few enclosures peppered around the place before the main boardwalk; there was an isolated exhibit for Meerkats near the chimps, a mix of more Meerkats and this time two Cape Porcupine near the café and a long paddock for Dromedary. There was a lot of construction and keeper activity in a portion of land near the dromedaries. It has been fenced off and seemed to be a new enclosure being constructed with three small pools and new plantings along with a hut-like shelter. Moving on, the boardwalk commences that wraps around most of the exhibits for the African animals. I’ve never been a fan of looking down at animals as you do with a raised boardwalk and I must say this was something I didn’t particularly enjoy. Also, some of the black fencing created some very ugly sightlines throughout the path. That said, all of the enclosures were of a decent size, had varied topographies and housed a pretty comprehensive range of African species for a non-open range zoo in Australia. Minus the view, it certainly provided a more varied experience that Taronga’s complex for five African species.

New construction near dromedaries

Boardwalk

While the raised boardwalk experience isn’t my favourite way to view animals, at least it was spacious, shaded in some parts for prolonged viewing and allowed plenty of room for visitors. The first enclosure viewed from the boardwalk was for a pair of male Cheetah that are originally from Monarto Safari Park. The enclosure for three impressively-maned Lions was up next with a roomy exhibit with a grove of trees that lined the back of the exhibits. The bottom part of the enclosure underneath the boardwalk is meshed but some parts are opened up between paths and corridors, meaning the lions would definitely be able to smell, hear and see at times its neighbours that surround their exhibit. There were flocks of wild Red-browed Finches that were flitting about near the pride; the lions remained unfazed.

Lion

Lion enclosure

Opposite the lions on the other side of the boardwalk stretched their mix of hoofstock that was segmented with carefully placed logs and rocks to separate off species for now. The first portion of the exhibit had three Giraffe and three Plains Zebra. One of the giraffes – a male from Perth – only arrived the other week and was already in with the two females and zebras. The zoo mainly used a barrier of boulders to protect taller vegetation and trees from their herbivores. Past the stripes and spots was a middle ‘buffer zone’ creating a narrow holding space for four male subadult Nyala that were recently transferred from Werribee Open Range Zoo. There are only three zoos in Australia with this species currently so it was a real treat to see these striking antelopes. The nyala had access to this space and some were also lingering near the neighbouring enclosure for the zoo’s only Southern White Rhinoceros that came from Orana Wildlife Park. The rhino was rolling around in the mud and then got up to do a quick run around the exhibit, snorting and grunting noisily. This sent the nyala into a bit of a panic and they all retreated to their shelter. The zoo advertises him well as Sydney’s only rhino and he is clearly a very popular animal as a crowd gathered around to watch his antics. A major and explicit point of difference to Taronga from the perspective of the general public.

Giraffe/Zebra enclosure

Rhino/Nyala enclosure

Nyala

Opposite the rhino was a hilly grassy enclosure for Spotted Hyena which were snoozing in a large shelter. Really great to see this species. I suddenly saw that a large carcass had just been placed in the final exhibit. A flurry of twitters and chirps revealed a large active group of seven African Wild Dogs feasting away. This really set off all of the nearby carnivores into high alert – the lions were moving around down towards the barrier following the sound and the hyenas were watching from a distance as they have full view of the wild dogs from a higher vantage point. The wild dog enclosure itself had more shelter and vegetation than the other exhibits and a part of it was not viewed via a boardwalk. So overall thoughts – it's pretty good range of exotic mammals probably only really missing a few more primates like lemurs, callitrichids and a small felid/binturong if you’re lucky for an Australian zoo as the glaring omissions overall. Most of the exhibits have ‘softened’ since opening mainly due to the vegetation growth but largely felt smaller than they actually were due to often awkward viewing opportunities from above or afar. Overall, not the strongest part of the zoo (that’s for later on) but still pleasant and it presented more cohesive and more spacious displays than Taronga’s megafauna I felt.

African Hunting Dog carcass feed

Hunting Dog enclosure

Day 2, Part 8 will tour Sydney Zoo’s Australian precinct including their combined reptile and nocturnal house.

Another great review @WhistlingKite24.

I’m really impressed with Sydney Zoo’s exhibits. Considering they’re a city zoo with limited space, the exhibits are much larger than I imagined and nicely landscaped.

My only criticism would be of the lion exhibit. These apex predators will surely dislike the sensation of being looked down on from the visitors above. Auckland and Wellington’s prides are never happier than when at the highest point of their exhibits (a hill and kopje respectively).

 

[steveroberts]

@WhistlingKite24

Incredible photos again, and like @Zoofan15 has already said, another brilliant review, looking forward to the rest.

Wow that Nyala is stunning, they are a beautiful antelope.

Here's some rough estimates of some of the animal's accessible exhibit land space (essentially the outdoor accessible space, some of the indoor den space not included, I left the Tiger's one out because couldn't fully divide the two exhibits up spatially accurately except the moated one is obviously a lot bigger but somewhere in the vicinity of 2,200 sq m. Also the Red Pandas and Otters is about 1,860-1,870 sq m approx' but that's the area of all 3 of their exhibits combined).

Cape Porcupine & Meerkats
approx' 200-250 sq m (depending how far north the enclosure boundary is)

Dromedaries
approx' 2,030 sq m

Cheetah
approx' 1,225 sq m

African Painted Wild Dogs
approx' 1,470 sq m

Lions
approx' 1,680 sq m

Giraffes, Zebras & Ostriches
approx' 3,380 sq m

Sth White Rhino & Nyala
approx' 2,240 sq m

Spotted Hyena
approx' 980-985 sq m

Hamadryas Baboons
approx' 1400-1,500 sq m

Sumatran Orangutans
approx' 810-850 sq m (smaller than was expecting)

Chimpanzees
approx' 1,250 sq m

Capybaras
approx 1,300 sq m (some very 'catered for' Capys', but obviously the exhibit was intended for an Ape or Monkey species, possibly the intended Gorilla habitat)

 

[Abbey]

Thank you for this comprehensive review. Inspired by you, I visited both Sydney and Featherdale on Tuesday, and the exhibit being created near the Dromedaries had a sign in it confirming that it will be for Capybara. I'm not sure whether that means the capybara will be moved from their current exhibit, or whether this is for some of them/a new group.

The current capuchin exhibit was the one intended for gorillas, I believe. There were spider monkeys at the zoo in the capuchin exhibit in early days, but they are no longer part of the collection as far as I'm aware. It's possible that the squirrel monkeys will go into the capybara exhibit as well as being used for encounters - they have been at the zoo off-display since at least April 2021.