Chester Zoo Chester Zoo 2017

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Chlidonias said:
green is actually really interesting in birds. I think most people are aware of the unique copper-based green pigment which touracos possess (turacoverdin). The green in parrots is also from non-diet-related pigments in the feathers called psittacofulvins (or psittacins) which are unique to parrots. Psittacofulvin pigments aren't green in themselves, but red or yellow, which combine with blue to form the appearance of being green - but psittacofulvins are independent of diet, so parrots remain green irrespective of what they are fed in captivity. I've been looking at this over the course of the day and it seems that all other bird greens are due to dietary-obtained carotenoids, including in fruit doves.


I pondered that, as I had recently seen a photo of one of the young Chester birds (perhaps a photo of yours) which was greenish-blue. The one I saw was greenish-blue also, not the unnatural-looking blue I have seen in captive adult birds, so it could have been a younger individual. It was very noticeably not the regular green though.
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Isn't light refraction involved in creating the green colouring in many bird?
 
Ned said:
Isn't light refraction involved in creating the green colouring in many bird?
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yes, almost all greens in birds are a product of light refraction. In my posts above I was talking just about the "bright green" birds (things like touracos, parrots, fruit doves) but I did completely overlook the iridescent greens of birds like rollers and bee-eaters. So:

Turacoverdin is an actual green pigment so the feathers of touracos are literally green. There is no light refraction involved.

Dull-green/olive-green feathers can be a product of mixing pigments (carotenoids and melanins) with no light refraction involved. I had ignored these before because I was concentrating on the bright greens.

In most other birds the feather colour is a combination of yellow or red pigments - psittacofulvins in parrots, carotenoids in other birds - combining with blue which is a structural colour (i.e. blue is caused by light refraction, it isn't a pigment). These include such birds as parrots, fruit doves, and green magpies. The "bright green" birds.

Then there are the greens which are caused solely by light refraction, or in combination with the pigment melanin. This is mainly what you would perceive as being iridescent green - e.g. on peacocks, bee-eaters, kingfishers, hummingbirds, etc.
 
Chlidonias said:
In most other birds the feather colour is a combination of yellow or red pigments - psittacofulvins in parrots, carotenoids in other birds - combining with blue which is a structural colour (i.e. blue is caused by light refraction, it isn't a pigment). These include such birds as parrots, fruit doves, and green magpies. The "bright green" birds.
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Which I guess explains why the birds turn blue without the dietary pigment.
 
Ned said:
Which I guess explains why the birds turn blue without the dietary pigment.
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yes, it's the same principle as flamingoes or scarlet ibis turning white. It doesn't happen with fruit doves because their diet is so rich in carotenoids anyway - I doubt you could keep them alive without a carotenoid-rich diet - and I don't think they would turn blue either because their feather structure is different to magpies. They would probably be grey if the carotenoid pigments were stripped out.
 
Chester have uploaded a video to their Facebook page showcasing some of the invert species located in Monsoon Forest.The new Question Mark Cockroach makes an appearance as well.
 
The zoo has said work will start on the walk through lemur exhibit in September, they don't appear to have planning permission yet, so guess they Will just clear the site first. They all also improving the penguin pool with new viewing points, doesn't mention a tunnel, which would have been nice.
 
jde7582 said:
The zoo has said work will start on the walk through lemur exhibit in September, they don't appear to have planning permission yet, so guess they Will just clear the site first. They all also improving the penguin pool with new viewing points, doesn't mention a tunnel, which would have been nice.
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Very nice news indeed. Always good to hear about upcoming developments.
 
That is quite a large area for a lemur walkthrough! Interesting also that they're closing off the path along the giant otter enclosure, preventing access to the sunken garden.
 
Swampy said:
That is quite a large area for a lemur walkthrough! Interesting also that they're closing off the path along the giant otter enclosure, preventing access to the sunken garden.
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Shame that you may not be able to see the sterlet.
 
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jde7582 said:
...so guess they Will just clear the site first.
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They're going to need dynamite for that, so looking forward to seeing it (although not the loss of the aviary).
Swampy said:
I wonder if maybe the old 'Adventure Playground' is also part of the development.
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It is, it'll be upgraded. It'll stay as a play area though.
 
Am I right that the Chester Zoo pages on the plan suggest, not stating, but highly suggest through the pictures that gorilla and Pygmy hippo are planned for the future?
 
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