Mixed species exhibit ideas

Would this theoretical walk-through rainforest dome work? It would be incredibly large (roughly the same size as Burger’s Bush), filled to the brim with plants from Central America, the Amazon and the Atlantic Forest ecoregions, and hosting over 30 different species. The landscape would be somewhat varied, with small forest ponds, streams under guests’ feet (crossed via stepping-stone paths) and a central waterfall. The exhibit would be called
Rainforest World:

MAMMALS:
Linnaeus’s Two-toed Sloth
Red-rumped Agouti
Golden Lion Tamarin (risky for the small birds and their eggs?)
Jamaican Fruit Bat

BIRDS:
Blue-throated Piping Guan
Great Curassow
Brazilian Teal
Gray-cowled Wood Rail
Sunbittern
Amazonian Motmot
Black-headed Parrot
Blue-and-yellow Macaw (too aggressive and destructive, risk of poisoning from certain plants such as the philodendrons?)
Scarlet Macaw (same risks as the blue-and-yellows?)
Bay-headed Tanager
Blue-gray Tanager
Paradise Tanager
Purple Honeycreeper
Red-capped Cardinal
Silver-beaked Tanager
Turquoise Tanager
Crested Oropendola (possible bullies or nest raiders?)
Yellow-rumped Cacique (safer alternative to the oropendolas?)
Purple-throated Fruitcrow
Screaming Piha
Spangled Cotinga

REPTILES:
Many-coloured bush-anole
Green Iguana
Giant South American River Turtle

AMPHIBIANS:
Smooth-sided Toad (possible poisoning risk to inquisitive birds, or aggression to smaller birds? I know that the National Aquarium and Zoo Wilhelma keep toads in their mixed species rainforests, but I’m still afraid of possible risks.)
 
AndyJ08 said:
Blue-throated Piping Guan
Great Curassow
Brazilian Teal
Gray-cowled Wood Rail
Sunbittern
Amazonian Motmot
Black-headed Parrot
Blue-and-yellow Macaw (too aggressive and destructive, risk of poisoning from certain plants such as the philodendrons?)
Scarlet Macaw (same risks as the blue-and-yellows?)
Bay-headed Tanager
Blue-gray Tanager
Paradise Tanager
Purple Honeycreeper
Red-capped Cardinal
Silver-beaked Tanager
Turquoise Tanager
Crested Oropendola (possible bullies or nest raiders?)
Yellow-rumped Cacique (safer alternative to the oropendolas?)
Purple-throated Fruitcrow
Screaming Piha
Spangled Cotinga
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The Macaws and the Black-headed Parrot are agressive towards the smaller birds and they could even kill them. Oropendolas can be bullies and nest raiders, so I would suggest Yellow-rumped Caciques. The Wood Rail can bully the Brazilian Teal and the Sunbittern and kill the smaller birds. Great Curassows can be agressive towards the visitors.
Otherwise this bird list should work.
 
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Paul.Haerle said:
The Macaws and the Black-headed Parrot are agressive towards the smaller birds and they could even kill them. Oropendolas can be bullies and nest raiders, so I would suggest Yellow-rumped Caciques. The Wood Rail can bully the Brazilian Teal and the Sunbittern and kill the smaller birds. Great Curassows can be agressive towards the visitors.
Otherwise this bird list should work.
Click to expand...
Thanks! The macaws will be reduced to wing-clipped birds on an “island” of simulated dead trees within the aviary (or better yet, in a separate small aviary at the building’s entrance), but I’d still like to include one smaller, non-aggressive parrot species to give the airspace some kinetic energy. I’m planning on removing the oropendolas though.

Are wood rails really that aggressive? I’ve seen them peacefully cohabited with waterfowl before, but never smaller birds.

Lastly, are curassows aggressive? I’ve been in walk-throughs with curassows before, and while they would occasionally chase guests out of their “territories” I’ve never observed them exhibiting any aggressive behaviors, though I know it comes down to the individual bird rather than the species itself.
 
AndyJ08 said:
Thanks! The macaws will be reduced to wing-clipped birds on an “island” of simulated dead trees within the aviary (or better yet, in a separate small aviary at the building’s entrance), but I’d still like to include one smaller, non-aggressive parrot species to give the airspace some kinetic energy. I’m planning on removing the oropendolas though.

Are wood rails really that aggressive? I’ve seen them peacefully cohabited with waterfowl before, but never smaller birds.

Lastly, are curassows aggressive? I’ve been in walk-throughs with curassows before, and while they would occasionally chase guests out of their “territories” I’ve never observed them exhibiting any aggressive behaviors, though I know it comes down to the individual bird rather than the species itself.
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For a smaller species of Parrot, Sun Cornure would be a good choice, since they are small, gregarious, and colourful. They're also Endangered according to IUCN, which can help with conservation messaging. Curassows should be fine in walkthroughs, and I have seen Green Oropendola mixed in with tanagers, Cardinal, Motmots, black Spotted Barbet, toucans and small Parrots in Bird Paradise, Singapore.
 
AndyJ08 said:
Are wood rails really that aggressive? I’ve seen them peacefully cohabited with waterfowl before, but never smaller birds.
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The Gaia-Zoo had to remove Wood Rails , as they attacked their cohabitans (ducks, trumpeters, sunbittern and others).
I heard from a Wood Rail which killed a Green Oropendola.
AndyJ08 said:
Lastly, are curassows aggressive? I’ve been in walk-throughs with curassows before, and while they would occasionally chase guests out of their “territories” I’ve never observed them exhibiting any aggressive behaviors, though I know it comes down to the individual bird rather than the species itself.
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Burger's Zoo had to remove because of this, but in other zoos (like @Zhao yun said) it works. It depends on the individual.
AndyJ08 said:
like to include one smaller, non-aggressive parrot species to give the airspace some kinetic energy.
Click to expand...
Parrotlets (Forpus) could work.
 
AndyJ08 said:
Golden Lion Tamarin (risky for the small birds and their eggs?)
Click to expand...

I've seen Coppery titis, Common marmosets and Red-bellied tamarins mixed with smaller birds, so I think Golden Lion tamarin should also be fine, but it would be safer to have on an island

AndyJ08 said:
Smooth-sided Toad
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I don't think that's a very good idea, tree frogs would be a way better bet for Free-roamers, like the Amazon milk frog or poison dart frogs

Paul.Haerle said:
Burger's Zoo had to remove because of this, but in other zoos (like @Zhao yun said) it works. It depends on the individual.
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Specifically, Burgers' Zoo's curassows were hand-raised, so they were very comfortable around humans and routinely stole from baby strollers and such. So releasing parent-raised birds should be fine

Oropendolas can be mixed with smaller birds (with Cardinals in Antwerpen, for example), but caciques would be a safer bet
 
I’ve decided to remove the oropendolas, replaced the black-headed parrots with sun parakeets, and replace the wood rails with Boat-billed Herons. I’ve added Bumblebee Poison Dart frogs as well.

I’ve kept the tamarins and toads, although I’ve given the tamarins separate night quarters, and a smaller exhibit towards the entrance of Rainforest World in the event that any of the smaller birds are breeding, and I’ve added in signs warning guests about the possibility of toads underfoot. Thankfully, they can seek refuge in the dense foliage.
 
Exhibit #1
North Island Brown Kiwi (Apteryx mantelli)
Pūkeko (Porphyrio melanotus)
Australian Wood Duck (Chenonetta jubata)
Little Blue Penguin (Eudyptula minor)

Exhibit #2
African Penguin (Spheniscus demersus)
Greater Flamingo (Phoenicopterus roseus)
Great White Pelican (Pelecanus onocrotalus)
Yellow-Billed Duck (Anas undulata)

 
peruvianbirdie said:
African Penguin (Spheniscus demersus)
Greater Flamingo (Phoenicopterus roseus)
Great White Pelican (Pelecanus onocrotalus)
Yellow-Billed Duck (Anas undulata)
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Pelicans could stress the flamingos and eat the ducks.
Otherwise it should work if the flamingos and the penguin had their own water basins.
peruvianbirdie said:
North Island Brown Kiwi (Apteryx mantelli)
Pūkeko (Porphyrio melanotus)
Australian Wood Duck (Chenonetta jubata)
Little Blue Penguin (Eudyptula minor)
Click to expand...
A group of penguins would stress the kiwis because of their activity, so I would remove the kiwis.
Otherwise it should work.
 
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Paul.Haerle said:
Pelicans could stress the flamingos and eat the ducks.
Otherwise it should work if the flamingos and the penguin had their own water basins.
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Dierenrijk has Pelicans and Flamingos mixed, as well as Chiloe wigeons, so I think the mix should be fine. Although those are a smaller species of pelican
 
Would the following bird list work in an aviary with Okapis and Bongos (They have of corse seperate enclosures) ?
Eastern Crested Guineafowl (replacing Western Crested Guineafowl)
Hartlaub's Duck
White-backed Duck
Speckled Pigeon
Rameron Pigeon
Dusky Turtle Dove
African Green Pigeon
Western Plantain-eater
Ross's Turaco
White-crested Turaco
Little Bittern
Striated Heron
Speckled Mousebird
Crowned Hornbill
Broad-billed Roller
African Golden Oriole
Red-backed Shrike
Violet-backed Starling
Splendid Starling
Spotted Morning Thrush
 
Paul.Haerle said:
Would the following bird list work in an aviary with Okapis and Bongos (They have of corse seperate enclosures) ?
Eastern Crested Guineafowl (replacing Western Crested Guineafowl)
Hartlaub's Duck
White-backed Duck
Speckled Pigeon
Rameron Pigeon
Dusky Turtle Dove
African Green Pigeon
Western Plantain-eater
Ross's Turaco
White-crested Turaco
Little Bittern
Striated Heron
Speckled Mousebird
Crowned Hornbill
Broad-billed Roller
African Golden Oriole
Red-backed Shrike
Violet-backed Starling
Splendid Starling
Spotted Morning Thrush
Click to expand...

Don't see any immediate issues apart from the Shrike. Not sure if these would go after the starlings and thrushes but either way I've never seen them in a larger mixed aviary before
 
Any thoughts on keeping Gemsbok with Bongo and Okapi in a 30 acres safari park exhibit or with Bison and Elk in the same kind of exhibit?
 
Imagine a 70000m2 paddock in a temperate climate of Germany with giraffe, greater kudu, dromedary camels, ostrich, and possibly impala and warthog. Warthog have their own burrows, and any new burrow is protected by piles of branches so other animals don't trip in. How many animals could fit that the grass stays reasonably green?
 
Vould a decently large Sulawesi Aviary be done with Yellow-crested cockatoo, Grosbreaked Starlings and Sulawesi ground doves, maybe wirh kingquail aswell
 
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