If I remember correctly, Hans Fradrich, the former longtime director of the Berlin Zoo brought Whistling herons into Berlin Zoo's collection. Hans Fradrich had quite a fondness for South American fauna.
@David Matos Mendes sadly they are no longer around in European zoos. @TeaLovingDave started an interesting thread pointing out/listing the last time different species were kept in European zoos, all post 1990. You might be able to find information on Whistling herons in his thread. Of course there is also Zootierliste.
@TeaLovingDave
That's sad to know. I have to say I never actually made an annalise of how common they are in brazilian zoos, but I believe they might not be too uncommon. Belo Horizonte has always kept them, and bred them if I'm not wrong.
@UngulateNerd92 Much probably São Paulo, and I remember reading something about them being kept and bred at Sapucaia do Sul zoo (Porto Alegre). Also, they probably live as wild animals in some other institutions.
@David Matos Mendes ah thank you. Do any Brazilian zoos utilize a certain parcel of space within their zoo as a rookery for native birds? I know that a few zoos in Florida do that, for example St. Augustine Alligator Farm in St. Augustine, St. Johns County, Florida.
@UngulateNerd92
In Belo Horizonte zoo, there's a specific big tree right after the entrance where the wild great-white herons nest. Duzens of them are born every year in this part of the institution. The herons are much probably atracted by the big lake of Pampulha's architechtural complex, from wich the zoo is part. A preserved fragment of atlantic forest in front of a big lake in the midle of a busy megalopolis is all they need. In São Paulo zoo, every year a big amount of wild white-faced whistling ducks land on the zoo's main lake and stay for some months. In Brasília, there are various species of wild waterfowl living in the many lakes (not sure if they make colonies though) and I believe Sapucaia zoo is home to various colonies of wild waterfowl too. As many of the country's major zoos are surrounded by fragments of jungle (most of them atlantic forest) it is very common to have small thriving populations of wild native birds, mammals and reptiles living in free range.
