A short summary of my visit this weekend where I mainly focused on the birds:
1. A cinnamon teal (Spatula cyanoptera) joined the "Cathedral Aviary." I only saw one bird. As usual with Pairi Daiza, the signs are not updated, and the species is not listed. Even if the species is not rare in zoos, as far as I know, it's the first zoo in Belgium to host cinnamon teal (or one of its subspecies). I didn't see the European eider (they removed the sign).
Red-legged seriema and Honduras boat-billed heron stayed in the backstage area. Probably too cold for them.
2. I spent a lot of time in the Tropicalia greenhouse trying to spot all the birds. I only spotted 1 White-Crested Turaco (not a good sign). The sunbitterns were nesting and probably laid eggs. As mentioned by KevinB, there is only one Bird of Paradise left: the lesser bird of paradise. It's in the last enclosure on the left before the "Clouded Panther Part" facing the Curl Crested Araçari exhibit.
3. In the Oasis, nearly all the "free roamers" are not visible/died/... except the Crowned Pigeons and hundreds of... house sparrows. The enclosures formerly dedicated to the Wreathed Hornbill and the Blyths Hornbill are still empty. Only 2 Rufous and 1 Silvery-cheeked hornbills are left in the oasis.
4. In the "Bird of Prey Area", I also noticed a lot of change:
- In the "Vulture Aviary", only a few species were on display: Palm-nut Vulture, Ruppel's Griffon, African White back vulture and Egyptian vulture. All other species listed on signs are not present (anymore). Is it due to the winter season? I didn't see the Long-crested eagle and the Lanner Falcon this year (despite 10+ visits). The African fish eagle who left the enclosure is still there... flying around, answering the calls from the others in the enclosure, fishing in the main lake...disrupting the seagulls. No "Booted Eagle" is left in the "Booted eagle/Bearder Vulture" enclosure.
5. Nobody reported it but two Fuegian Steamer Duck (Tachyeres pteneres) joined the Asia area sharing the enclosure with the "Red Crowned Crane" and the hog deer. Pairi Daiza is not listed on ZTL meaning that 8 zoos in Europe have the Steamer Duck. It's the second zoo in Belgium after Planckendael
It's a pity that this park is denying its past and lost a huge part of rare birds. All benefits for "mainstream species"
Edit: Someone added the Steamer duck on ZTL, thanks
Willy and his mum will be staying indoors for a few weeks. But stay tuned, we'll be giving you regular updates #pairidaiza #rhinos #baby"
