Bird Paradise Bird Paradise news 2023

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BucerosKeeper said:
Have the Luzon Hornbills been recently released? I don't recall seeing them on my last visit, either way this means I have a reason to make another trip down :D
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A pair has been in the aviary from the start, but they're quite shy and hard to find.
 
A number of waterfowl arrived recently. A couple of new species and additional specimens of existing species to start breeding groups:

New species:
Yellow-billed Stork (Mycteria ibis)
Muscovy Duck (Cairina moschata)

New specimens:
Southern Screamer (Chauna torquata) - new male, Esther finally has a mate!
Madagascar Teal (Anas bernieri) - new females to join existing males
Meller's Duck (Anas melleri) - new females to join existing males
Baer's Pochard (Aythya baeri) - new males to join existing females
White-winged Duck (Asarcornis scutulata) - new male and breeding pair to join existing female
 
The second instalment of The Great Migration documentary has been released on Youtube, link below. It focuses mainly on the translocation of the birds from Jurong to the new park. The Cassowary capture scenes kind of remind me of the original Jurassic Park's opening scene but minus the carnage of course!

 
Zooish said:
The second instalment of The Great Migration documentary has been released on Youtube, link below. It focuses mainly on the translocation of the birds from Jurong to the new park. The Cassowary capture scenes kind of remind me of the original Jurassic Park's opening scene but minus the carnage of course!

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Thanks! Excited to watch!
 
I visited earlier in the week. A truly phenomenal place. The Heart of Africa aviary was the real stand-out for me.

I must say I think the Winged Sanctuary aviaries have missed the mark, at least for the smaller species. Most birds very perched quite high in the aviaries and viewing through the fine mesh was really difficult. Ideally the viewer would be on a raised walkway and/or glass viewing windows.

I probably shouldn’t have left visiting Winged Sanctuary until last as between the humidity and tired kids it didn’t help the experience of trying to get reasonable views of some amazing species.

Cheers,
Ian
 
@iaos I agree about Winged Sanctuary. I suppose those birds just do better in a more private setup, and obviously their welfare is more important than anything else, but viewing them was so frustrating. I’m not sure what the solution is besides hopefully integrating those birds into walkthrough aviaries or adding new birds of the same species to walkthroughs, or building new habitats to move them into.

Mesh always drives me insane at zoos because you can barely see the animals and photography is a real challenge. I couldn’t get many shots without mesh in the background, if not also in the foreground. I’m not sure if glass frontage is a viable option, but it would be such an improvement. I think Jurong had a much better setup for most of the species at Winged Sanctuary - the burrowing owl was particularly disappointing compared to its previous habitat.
 
Among the cranes, storks, other large waterfowl, etc how many of them are fully flighted? Assuming that the flamingos, saddlebills, Gru the wattled crane and Mary the black-necked stork were pinioned as they were kept in outdoor enclosures in Jurong
 
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BucerosKeeper said:
You have Papuan Hornbills in the Wings of Asia. Sally the Southern Oriental Pied Hornbill and Ruffy(?) the Rufous Hornbill rotate to make an appearance during the Keeper Talk sessions hosted there as well.

In the Heart of Africa there are Trumpeter(?), Northern Red-billed, Von der Decken's, Western Long-tailed, African Pied, and Black-casqued.
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How often are they rotated?
 
On Wednesday, I visited bird Paradise with the intention of seeing the Kagu, which I saw. For anyone who's wondering, they are very showy. More on that below.
General News
  • The American Flamingos have chicks! According to a video posted on Mandai's Facebook account, this is the first batch in 20 years. During my visit, I counted at least 2 chicks, with more to come, as there was an adult on one the nests. :)
  • The Greater Green Leafbirds have been moved to the Negros Bleeding-Heart aviary. There also seems to be some sort of Imperial Pigeon in said aviary.
  • The Burrowing Owl(s?) has been moved to Amazonian Jewels. A small bird has taken its place. Unfortunately, the bird was at the very back of the aviary so I was unable to get a good look at it.
  • The majority of the park's Amazon Parrot collection seems to have been moved to Crimson Wetlands.
Personal Observations
  • The pigeons and doves really stole the show for me! I managed to spot my first Barred Cuckoo Dove at Songs of The Forest, as well as a beautiful Purple Tailed Imperial Pigeon in the same aviary. I also saw a Pink-Headed Imperial Pigeon in Wings of Asia. The Pied Imperial pigeons were very active, per normal. :)
  • At the same time, I saw my first Turaco in Heart of Africa, the Western Plantain Eater. I had no problems viewing them back in Jurong, but given the lush vegetation of the Heart of Africa aviary, it made things rather difficult. While this was not the species I was expecting to see first, I still enjoyed viewing it. Great bird, reminded me of a bird of prey.
  • As I mentioned above, the Kagu are very active. I saw one being chased by a Western Crowned Pigeon in the Lesser Bird of Paradise aviary, as if they were playing some game.:D Other interesting interactions included a Laughing Kookaburra chasing a Masked Lapwing, attempting to steal its food, as well as a Madagascar Crested Ibis intimidating an Abdim's Stork, showing of its trademark crest.
Questions
  • I saw a three Pheasant Pigeons in Lory Loft, have they been there from the start?
That's it! Very eventful visit, although not many birds were seen...
 
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