Twycross Zoo Borneo Longhouse aviary

[Chlidonias]

can anyone tell me what species are in the Borneo Longhouse aviary? Thanks

 

[zoogiraffe]

Little Pied Cormarant
Grey Peacock Pheasant
Red Jungle Fowl
Satyr Tragopan
Bali Starling
Plum-headed Parrakeet
Demoiselle Crane
Madagascan Teal
Greem Imperial Pigeon

Think I`ve missed a couple but not sure what!!

 

[Chlidonias]

well at least the green imperials are found in Borneo

So what's the deal with the exhibit? I gather the aviary is attached to or beside a building called the Borneo Longhouse, so does the Longhouse display animals also or is it primarily ethnological? And finally, was the original intent for the Longhouse to display animals or exhibits relating to Borneo, or was it always meant simply as a handy prop for displaying random exhibits?

 

[Pertinax]

well at least the green imperials are found in Borneo

So what's the deal with the exhibit? so does the Longhouse display animals also or is it primarily ethnological? And finally, was the original intent for the Longhouse to display animals or exhibits relating to Borneo, or was it always meant simply as a handy prop for displaying random exhibits?

Seems primarily(entirely) ethnological at present. Not sure of the longterm policy but they could develop the surrounding areas for Borneo animals at a later date if desired. That would make its presence more rational.

 

[Maguari]

The birds above are in the 'walkthrough' side, which basically means one side of the longhouse is open to the aviary (rather than it being a 'proper' walkthrough). The other side looks through glass onto a larger aviary over a natural (?) stream with similarly non-Borneo-specific birds, such as Purple Heron, Black Stork and Little Egret.

 

[Pertinax]

The other side looks through glass onto a larger aviary over a natural (?) stream with similarly non-Borneo-specific birds, such as Purple Heron, Black Stork and Little Egret.

With a backdrop of traffic whizzing past on the road outside...

I must say I was bit surprised to see that this exhibit when it was built, didn't incorporate 'local' animal species to any extent. It represents a very different type of build for Twycross but I can't quite see its relevance unless animal exhibits are tied in with it. But if they were, it could be very effective.

 

[Chlidonias]

thanks everybody

 

[johnstoni]

Wasn't this to do with the arrival of Ben Potterton who either owns or managed the shorelands collection of birds at Blacksmiths cottage nursery? Twycross seem to have taken a positive trajectory in terms of planting and their bird collection since he took up his post as curator of plants there.

 

[zoogiraffe]

I was right i had missed some species they are,
Pied Imperial Pigeon
Azure-winged Magpie

 

[zoogiraffe]

No Ben arrived after this aviary had opened,but he has had a very big impact on the Birds at Twycross since he arrived,the Wader Aviary alongside the new entrance should be interesting.

 

[Steve J]

It is important to note that the overall system was designed to act as waste treatment for the Zoo’s effluent and the initial idea of the whole project was the water treatment rather than exhibits. I grew and planted 15618 aquatic and wetland plants for the initial phase of the project. This was a mixed species planting as this worked better as waste removal than the usual Phragmites reed bed systems. As the project evolved it was decided to introduce various collections into the streams and pools which were then divided by discreet barriers. Towards the end of the planting it became obvious that the lowest pool which was to house the Flamingos needed re-working and this then became the big pool at the end of the Borneo Long House. This was the only area where we introduced non-native plant species, the rest of the system was planted with natives based on a list that Matt Simpson of the WWT and I put together based on the effectiveness of individual native plants and their ability to remove waste from the system as well as their availability either directly from commercial growers or as seed or plug plants that i grew on at my old nursery.

 

[KJ]

Also there is at least one night heron in there, took a picture a few days back (pic up later).