Pelicans, Cormorants, & Darters in North America

[DesertRhino150]

I have a question with regards to a cormorant in a US collection, and figured this may be as good a place as any to ask.

I have been watching back through episodes of 'Adventure Florida', a 2008 series for CBBC filmed mainly at Busch Gardens Tampa and SeaWorld. In one scene, there is a cormorant or shag swimming alongside the penguins in the indoor Penguin Encounter exhibit, which has an extensive white area on its throat. Was wondering if anyone knew what species inhabited the display at the time?

 

[Zoo Birding]

I have a question with regards to a cormorant in a US collection, and figured this may be as good a place as any to ask.

I have been watching back through episodes of 'Adventure Florida', a 2008 series for CBBC filmed mainly at Busch Gardens Tampa and SeaWorld. In one scene, there is a cormorant or shag swimming alongside the penguins in the indoor Penguin Encounter exhibit, which has an extensive white area on its throat. Was wondering if anyone knew what species inhabited the display at the time?

That would be the white-breasted cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo lucidus), an African subspecies of the great cormorant. Some authorities elevated them to full species status. Both the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the IUCN Red List recognize this species as a subspecies of great cormorant.

They are a go-to companion species for African penguins, and great white and pink-backed pelicans.

Here’s a close up of one from the San Diego Zoo I took on September of 2024.

 

[Zoo Birding]

Pelicans - Pelecanus

American White Pelican (42-43 holders)

Alexandria
Assiniboine
Audubon
Baton Rouge
Big Bear Alpine
Birmingham
Bramble Park
Bronx?
Brookfield
Busch Wildlife Sanctuary
Caldwell
California Living Museum
Edmonton Valley
Flamingo Gardens
Fort Worth
Great Plains
Homosassa Springs
Hutchinson
Idaho Falls
John Ball
Kansas City
Lee Simmons Conservation Park
Lousiana Purchase Gardens
Memphis
Milwaukee
NEW
North Florida Wildlife Center
Park Safari
Phoenix
Pueblo
Sacramento
Salisbury
San Antonio
San Francisco
Scovill
Sedgwick County
St Louis
Sunset
Tracy Aviary
Willow Park
World Bird Sanctuary
Zoo Miami

Brown Pelican (35 holders)

Alexandria
Audubon
Baton Rouge
Bronx
Busch Wildlife Sanctuary
California Living Museum
Cameron Park
Columbus
Dallas
DWA
Flamingo Gardens
Flamingo Las Vegas
Florida Aquarium
Fort Worth
Fresno Chaffee
Georgia Sea Turtle Center
Hattiesburg
Homossasa Springs Wildlife Park
Jacksonville
Laura Quinn Wild Bird Sanctuary
Lion Country Safari
National
National Aviary
New York Aquarium
North Florida Wildlife Center
Palm Beach
Phoenix
San Antonio
Santa Barbara
SeaWorld Orlando
South Carolina Aquarium
Virginia Living Museum
World Bird Sanctuary
Zoo Miami
Zoo Tampa

Peruvian Pelican (1 holder)

Bronx

Great White Pelican (11 holders)

Audubon
Columbus
Clearwater Marine Aquarium
Cincinnati
Fort Wayne’s Children’s
Honolulu
Living Desert
San Diego
San Diego Zoo Safari Park
Sedgwick County
Toronto

Pink-backed Pelican (17 holders)

African Lion Safari
Audubon
Bright’s
Cincinnati
Detroit
Disney’s Animal Kingdom (inc Lodge)
Fort Worth
Fresno Chaffee
Jacksonville
Living Desert
Maryland
Omaha
Phoenix
San Diego Zoo Safari Park
San Francisco
Sedgwick County
Turtle Back

Dalmatian Pelican (6 holders)

Bronx
Columbus
Phoenix
San Diego Zoo Safari Park
Toledo
Tracy Aviary


Cormorants

Phalacrocorax

Double-crested Cormorant (13 holders)

Abilene
Caldwell
Cameron Park
Flamingo Gardens
Georgia Sea Turtle Center
Homosassa Springs Wildlife Park
Florida Aquarium
Jacksonville
Patricia and Phillip Frost Museum of Science
St Louis
Tracy Aviary
Virginia Living Museum
Zoo Tampa

Neotropic Cormorant (2 holders)

Caldwell
Gladys Porter

Great Cormorant (1 holder)

Georgia Sea Turtle Center

White-breasted Cormorant (8 holders)

Audubon
Cincinnati
Dallas
Maryland
San Diego
San Diego Zoo Wild Animal Park
Toledo
Toronto (2.0)

Brandt’s Cormorant (1 holder)

SeaWorld San Diego? (offshow)


Darters - Anhinga

Anhinga (4 holders)

Bronx
Flamingo Gardens
Georgia Sea Turtle Center
Zoo Miami

African Darter (1 holder)

San Diego

Sacramento Zoo transferred their last American white pelican to the San Francisco Zoo last year, so Sacramento no longer has the species.

Unless they’re out in one of the Savannah habitats or they are behind the scenes. I haven’t spotted the great white pelican at either the San Diego Safari Park or San Diego Zoo back in September of 2024.

I can confirm the Dalmatian pelican, along with the pink-backed pelicans are indeed at the San Diego Safari Park as of September of 2024.

 

[Kudu21]

I have a question with regards to a cormorant in a US collection, and figured this may be as good a place as any to ask.

I have been watching back through episodes of 'Adventure Florida', a 2008 series for CBBC filmed mainly at Busch Gardens Tampa and SeaWorld. In one scene, there is a cormorant or shag swimming alongside the penguins in the indoor Penguin Encounter exhibit, which has an extensive white area on its throat. Was wondering if anyone knew what species inhabited the display at the time?

That would be the white-breasted cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo lucidus), an African subspecies of the great cormorant. Some authorities elevated them to full species status. Both the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the IUCN Red List recognize this species as a subspecies of great cormorant.

They are a go-to companion species for African penguins, and great white and pink-backed pelicans.

Here’s a close up of one from the San Diego Zoo I took on September of 2024.

Can you confirm that 100%? More fitting for the Antarctic theme of the indoor penguin exhibit and also present in US collections at the time would be the imperial shag. I cannot say either way, but I did want to through that out as another option.

Sacramento Zoo transferred their last American white pelican to the San Francisco Zoo last year, so Sacramento no longer has the species.

Unless they’re out in one of the Savannah habitats or they are behind the scenes. I haven’t spotted the great white pelican at either the San Diego Safari Park or San Diego Zoo back in September of 2024.

I can confirm the Dalmatian pelican, along with the pink-backed pelicans are indeed at the San Diego Safari Park as of September of 2024.

The great white pelicans at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park are usually on exhibit in the "Bird Marsh" exhibit, which is directly across from the South Africa field exhibit along the Africa Tram. They have been off exhibit recently, though, however, because of the avian flu.

 

[Zoo Birding]

Can you confirm that 100%? More fitting for the Antarctic theme of the indoor penguin exhibit and also present in US collections at the time would be the imperial shag. I cannot say either way, but I did want to through that out as another option.


The great white pelicans at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park are usually on exhibit in the "Bird Marsh" exhibit, which is directly across from the South Africa field exhibit along the Africa Tram. They have been off exhibit recently, though, however, because of the avian flu.

From my trip in September of 2024. This is signage found across San Diego Zoo. They share their current space, an enclosed aviary, with a Hartlaub’s duck.

 

[Kudu21]

From my trip in September of 2024. This is signage found across San Diego Zoo. They share their current space, an enclosed aviary, with a Hartlaub’s duck.

@DesertRhino150 was asking about cormorant species at SeaWorld Orlando in 2008, not the San Diego Zoo now….

 

[DesertRhino150]

Can you confirm that 100%? More fitting for the Antarctic theme of the indoor penguin exhibit and also present in US collections at the time would be the imperial shag. I cannot say either way, but I did want to through that out as another option.

I did think of the imperial shag as an option - I do have a screenshot showing what can be seen of the bird, but I'm not sure what the rules are on posting such things here.

 

[Great Argus]

I did think of the imperial shag as an option - I do have a screenshot showing what can be seen of the bird, but I'm not sure what the rules are on posting such things here.

If you zoom in on the signage bar in this photo there is one that appears to be King Shag. Not sure that pertains to the correct species now though as I recall some splits in the Leucocarbo. But does confirm it is one of the Antarctic shags.

Penguin Encounter - Penguin Exhibit - ZooChat