SeaOtterHQ
Well-Known Member
Right now the underrated Alaska SeaLife Center has a very interesting collection of Arctic birds with some nice rarities. All of these birds are beautiful, but I am particularly impressed by the eiders. Their faces are as striking and colorful as the more popular tropical bird species.
ASLC Resident Species - Alaska Sealife Center
Below is a list of their birds with 10 or fewer zoo/aquaria holdings throughout the world:
- Black oystercatcher
1 of 7 global holdings.
- Horned puffin
1 of 8 global holdings.
- King eider
1 of 4 global holdings.
- Long-tailed duck
1 of 10 global holdings.
- Pigeon guillemot
1 of 6 global holdings.
- Red-legged kittiwake
1 of 2 global holdings. The other is Den Blå Planet in Copenhagen.
- Rhinoceros auklet
1 of 3 global holdings. The others are the Seattle Aquarium and the Oregon Coast Aquarium.
- Spectacled eider
1 of 10 global holdings.
- Steller's eider
This is the only holding in the world.
The collection is rounded out by more commonly exhibited but no less colorful birds such as the Atlantic harlequin duck, common murre, smew, and tufted puffin.
Other Arctic rarities I would like to see at more zoos/aquaria:
- Arctic tern
Tierpark Bern has the only current holding.
- Crested auklet
Aquarium of the Pacific has the only current holding.
- Ivory gull
No current holdings. Previously held by the Bronx Zoo.
- Lesser sandhill crane
No current holdings. Previously held by the Bronx Zoo and Walsrode, among others.
- Little auk
No current holdings. Previously held by the Bronx Zoo.
- Red knot
Currently held by the Monterey Bay Aquarium and the Smithsonian's National Zoo.
- Red phalarope
Monterey Bay Aquarium has the only current holding.
- Ross's gull
No current holdings.
- Sabine's gull
No current holdings.
- Snow bunting
No current holdings. Previously held by the Vienna, Berlin, and Artis Zoo, among others.
- Thick-billed murre
North Carolina Zoo has the only current holding.
I relied on Zootierliste for most of these, so feel free to offer any corrections or updates.
A comprehensive Arctic bird showcase should probably also include the snowy owl and Steller's sea eagle, but those are both extremely common in zoos and they'd have be kept apart from the other birds, for obvious reasons. Most if not all of these species can be found on or around Wrangel Island and/or the Bering Sea, both of which offer potentially interesting exhibits in their own right.
The Cincinnati Zoo had a very good Arctic bird collection a decade ago, the only one I can recall with as many rarities as Alaska SeaLife Center. Are there any others worth mentioning?
ASLC Resident Species - Alaska Sealife Center
Below is a list of their birds with 10 or fewer zoo/aquaria holdings throughout the world:
- Black oystercatcher
1 of 7 global holdings.
- Horned puffin
1 of 8 global holdings.
- King eider
1 of 4 global holdings.
- Long-tailed duck
1 of 10 global holdings.
- Pigeon guillemot
1 of 6 global holdings.
- Red-legged kittiwake
1 of 2 global holdings. The other is Den Blå Planet in Copenhagen.
- Rhinoceros auklet
1 of 3 global holdings. The others are the Seattle Aquarium and the Oregon Coast Aquarium.
- Spectacled eider
1 of 10 global holdings.
- Steller's eider
This is the only holding in the world.
The collection is rounded out by more commonly exhibited but no less colorful birds such as the Atlantic harlequin duck, common murre, smew, and tufted puffin.
Other Arctic rarities I would like to see at more zoos/aquaria:
- Arctic tern
Tierpark Bern has the only current holding.
- Crested auklet
Aquarium of the Pacific has the only current holding.
- Ivory gull
No current holdings. Previously held by the Bronx Zoo.
- Lesser sandhill crane
No current holdings. Previously held by the Bronx Zoo and Walsrode, among others.
- Little auk
No current holdings. Previously held by the Bronx Zoo.
- Red knot
Currently held by the Monterey Bay Aquarium and the Smithsonian's National Zoo.
- Red phalarope
Monterey Bay Aquarium has the only current holding.
- Ross's gull
No current holdings.
- Sabine's gull
No current holdings.
- Snow bunting
No current holdings. Previously held by the Vienna, Berlin, and Artis Zoo, among others.
- Thick-billed murre
North Carolina Zoo has the only current holding.
I relied on Zootierliste for most of these, so feel free to offer any corrections or updates.
A comprehensive Arctic bird showcase should probably also include the snowy owl and Steller's sea eagle, but those are both extremely common in zoos and they'd have be kept apart from the other birds, for obvious reasons. Most if not all of these species can be found on or around Wrangel Island and/or the Bering Sea, both of which offer potentially interesting exhibits in their own right.
The Cincinnati Zoo had a very good Arctic bird collection a decade ago, the only one I can recall with as many rarities as Alaska SeaLife Center. Are there any others worth mentioning?
