Dudley Zoological Gardens Dudley Zoo bird species from the past.

AdrianW1963

AdrianW1963

Well-Known Member
5+ year member
After looking on ZTL I was wondering if this is a full list of Birds previously at the collection but then I realised that quite a few were missing only problem is I can't remember which ones so if any of you can help with Bird species previously held within the collection I would be extremely grateful -

African olive-pigeon
African Spotted Eagle-owl
American kestrel
Argentine Cinnamon Teal
Ariel Toucan
Black-faced ibis
Black-naped fruit-dove
Blue crane
Blue-tailed Imperial-Pigeon
Boobook Owl
Branicki`s Ibis
British jay
Bronze Turkey
Buffy Fish-owl
Chiloe wigeon
Citron-crested cockatoo
Common bronzewing
Common eider duck
Crested caracara
Crested guan
Crimson rosella
Crimson shining parrot
Croaking ground-dove
Domestic muscovy duck
Emerald starling
Emperor goose
Ferruginous hawk
Fischer's lovebird
Golden-breasted starling
Green junglefowl
Green military macaw
Grey junglefowl
Grey-cheeked hornbill
Harris' hawk
Hartlaub's turaco
Hyacinth macaw
Jackass penguin
Japanese quail
Kelp Gull
Laughing dove
Laysan duck
Little chachalaca
Macaroni penguin
Maguari stork
Morotai yellow-backed lory
New Zealand scaup
New Zealand Teal
Orange-headed thrush
Orange-spotted bulbul
Great Horned Owl
Palawan peacock-pheasant
Paradise shelduck
Pied Imperial-Pigeon
Pink pigeon
Red-necked Sulawesi ground-dove
Rockhopper penguin
Sacred ibis
Sclater`s crowned-pigeon
Southern cassowary
Speckled pigeon
Steller's jay
Temminck's tragopan
Upland goose
Vermiculated Eagle-owl
Western crowned-pigeon
White-cheeked turaco
White-throated toucan
White-winged Duck
Yellow-backed chattering lory

I would have loved to have seen some of these species and wondered if people know any collections that hold any of the above?
 
AdrianW1963 said:
After looking on ZTL I was wondering if this is a full list of Birds previously at the collection but then I realised that quite a few were missing only problem is I can't remember which ones so if any of you can help with Bird species previously held within the collection I would be extremely grateful............

I would have loved to have seen some of these species and wondered if people know any collections that hold any of the above?
Click to expand...

The clue's in your first paragraph. :p
 
So can people's observations unless they're a regular visitor. There's always going to be a time lag regardless of system (unless you've found a way around this with your "US project"). Also, even if someone visited yesterday it doesn't guarantee a birds on-show or viewable (even if on-show) today -embrace the beautiful randomness of life.
 
They definitely had cassowaries in the late 1970s (and for some years afterwards) which were in the enclosure directly opposite the Barbary sheep (set back behind the picnic area) but couldn't be definite about which species. Can't help with any of the others, sorry.
 
Angel said:
They definitely had cassowaries in the late 1970s (and for some years afterwards) which were in the enclosure directly opposite the Barbary sheep (set back behind the picnic area) but couldn't be definite about which species. Can't help with any of the others, sorry.
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Yes, I too remember seeing the Cassowary around there a few times back when I was little (in the early 2000's I think), and I was disappointed when I found out it had been replaced with Rheas back in 2009. And as crazy as it would sound, I really would LOVE to see this species make a comeback to the DZG collection. They could do with a new, bigger enclosure (I'm thinking of placing them in the wooded area next to the sea lions: where the newt ponds and gibbon enclosures are located).

The new enclosure I'm picturing in my head should consist of:
  • High fencing (obviously) - to keep the birds safely inside and to make sure that they don't jump out of the enclosure and/or hurt anyone (Because they are extremely aggressive of course).
  • Different types of bushes - to give the enclosure quite a natural-looking appearence to it and also to make the cassowaries not so easy to spot. Obviously, we don't want to have TOO MANY bushes inside the enclosure as this would make them seem a little too difficult to spot (I know, they are solitary and they like to be left alone at times, but still!)
  • A little water pool (maybe?) - Now, this one is rather more optional when it comes to "Cassowary Enclosures" and all, but I'm just throwing this one onto the list because cassowaries do like to swim, and maybe on a hot summer day they could use this pool to cool themselves down from the heat of the sun.
  • A large fence in the middle - To keep both birds seperated during the day (Obviously), because chances are if they remain in the same paddock together they may be more likely to attack (or even kill) each other, and we definitely don't want that to happen at all!
  • And last but not least on this list is.... - An indoor viewing area for the cassowaries because... well, I know it's not exactly needed for them but I think they could do with perhaps an indoor area in the middle of their exhibit. With viewing windows - giving the visitors a view of their indoor dens. (I'm actually thinking it should be a little bit like the house they have for them at Edinburgh Zoo. Not the same obviously, but still YKWIM). And of course, if the female Cassowary does become pregnant at any point the windows will have to be SEALED OFF to the public. And yes, I would hope for them both to breed at the zoo.

Now, I'm sure you can all agree with me when I say this. But as much as I'd love to see these plans come into life, I can't really imagine they would actually do this. I mean, I love cassowaries. I know they're large, fast, dangerous, extremely aggressive, and they've been known to seriously injure humans with their deadly claws, but they are my no.1 favourite species of bird. And as much as I hate to admit it, I don't think DZG would be looking to bring this species back to their collection at all, considering how difficult they are to keep especially since they have been known to attack keepers in other zoos over the years.

But, even though it may probably never happen at all, I'd still love to know what you guys would think of this idea of mine. :)
 
I know they had Vultures in the early days but unsure as to which species also quite a few different owls over the years.

Anybody remeber what species were in the Tecton Tropical House.

The Cassowary were Southern/Double Wattled
 
And somewhere in the DZG gallery there is also a photo of some pelicans that was taken sometime before 1950. I do not know exactly what species of pelican it is, but they look like they could be Great White Pelicans (Again, I'm not sure so I'm willing to be proved wrong)
 
AdrianW1963 said:
I know they had Vultures in the early days but unsure as to which species also quite a few different owls over the years.
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The Dudley Zoo guide for 1938, lists the following vultures:

griffon vulture
black vulture
turkey vulture

And the following owls:

barn owl
tawny owl
Malayan fish owl
American eagle owl
milky eagle owl (Verreaux's eagle owl)
vermiculated eagle owl
European eagle owl

Interestingly, the guide also mentions an aviary for British birds including starlings, greenfinches, chaffinches, bramblings, goldfinches, linnets, yellow hammers, blackbirds, thrushes and robins.
 
Tim May said:
The Dudley Zoo guide for 1938, lists the following vultures:

griffon vulture
black vulture
turkey vulture

And the following owls:

barn owl
tawny owl
Malayan fish owl
American eagle owl
milky eagle owl (Verreaux's eagle owl)
vermiculated eagle owl
European eagle owl

Interestingly, the guide also mentions an aviary for British birds including starlings, greenfinches, chaffinches, bramblings, goldfinches, linnets, yellow hammers, blackbirds, thrushes and robins.
Click to expand...
I've got an article in the Avicultural Magazine from maybe the late 1940s, about the Dudley bird collection. I'll see if I can find it!
 
I was told that the British Bird collection was held in the tecton building that eventually was the tropical house it only last a couple of years and was moved but were too I don't know.
 
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