aviary

24 April 2015

This was built last year for Blue Ducks (Hymenolaimus malacorhynchos) but they still are not at the reserve. Instead the aviary holds Mandarin Ducks, a pair of Swinhoes Pheasants, and a Canada Goose.

In the foreground here is the walk-through wallaby enclosure, housing Red-necked Wallabies (Macropus rufogriseus). The white birds are domestic Sebastopol Geese.

It looks to be a fairly tall aviary, were there plans for other birds too? Say tui or bellbirds? Shame they haven't got any blue ducks, would have thought they could have been acquired relatively easily.

it is reasonably tall. The viewing is from a porch (through mesh windows) at the left end if looking from this angle. The aviary is a good size but I don't think it is "good" for Blue Duck in a "representing their environment" sort of way - instead of a stream it just has a still pool surrounded by shingle banks (although these will become covered with vegetation in time).

I'm not sure what the hold-up was with the Blue Ducks, but the person I was asking about it said that there was going to be a new Blue Duck aviary built near to this one. So a bit confusing. I'm not even sure why they are placing the Blue Ducks in this part of the zoo and not in the native area where all the other endemics are (although I suspect that is mostly to do with available space).

there is now a bird to utilise the air space within this aviary - a female superb parakeet (aka barraband). The blue ducks are coming soon, but will be going into the aviary where the NZ falcon was in the NZ section of the zoo. The falcon has been moved, oddly enough to the empty aviary which had previously held blue ducks several years ago!