Hornbills, Flamingoes and Toucans in mixed-species exhibits?

C

CGSwans

Well-Known Member
15+ year member
Hey folks,

Just wondering if there's any sort of track record of keeping birds from these three groups in mixed-species scenarios? Not these three together, but rather with other birds and animals in general.
 
I think Blackpool has toucans in their Amazon exhibit with Saki monkeys and squirrel monkeys. I think hornbills would maybe be too big or aggressive though?
 
ashley-h said:
I think Blackpool has toucans in their Amazon exhibit with Saki monkeys and squirrel monkeys. I think hornbills would maybe be too big or aggressive though?
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I imagine that'd be the case with other birds (though I certainly don't know that - being an Australian I've never seen a hornbill) - but could they perhaps be kept with primates, ungulates or small carnivores? For instance, an Asian species with otters, binturongs, Malayan tapir or langurs?

Also, what about hornbills being kept with other species? A quick Google search indicates that they associate with other species quite freely in the wild, including communal mixed-species roosting and breeding in nearby trees without any competition. Does that carry over into a captive setting anywhere?
 
Possible for hornbills then, maybe with tapirs or something.
 
The different hornbill species behave quite differently from each other in mixed exhibits. I have seen ground hornbills and grey-cheeked hornbills mixed, but not the big Asian species.
 
Ah yeah, I've seen ground hornbills mixed with African animals, I forgot about them actually and was thinking of only the Asian species ;)
 
Newquay zoo have Black hornbills with blue magpies and (I think) white crowned laughing thrushes in the oriental garden, this is a really nice display whith the large colourful and active blue magpies, the smaller (and found more closer to the ground) thrushes and the lare but secretive hornbills.

Also aracai's are found in most rainforest exhibits with numeorus and varied species.
 
Jacksonville has their Southern Ground Hornbills with Bongo, Stanley Cranes, and Impala. The zoo also has flamingos and Toucans in their African and South American aviaries, respectively.
 
Toucans and larger hornbills are omnivores and known to rob nests and eat small birds, lizards etc. Nevertheless, some zoos keep them with equal-sized birds, although I doubt if there is a breeding success then.

Tockus hornbills and small arasaris are less problematic.

I also saw aracaris with golden lion tamarins, and ground hornbills with ungulates. Flamingos I saw with waterfowl and probably ibises in aviary.

However I personaly think that keeping pinioned birds like ground hornbills with hoofstock is problematic and requires special design with lots of hiding places. Birds end up kicked and/or trampled!
 
I know various african hornbill species have been kept in mixed aviaries or hoofstock exhibits. Most flamingo exhibits also have waterfowl, ibises, or other waterbirds as well. I don't know about toucans though...
 
I haven't seen that combo, though at Niagara's Aviary, there are Silver-cheeked Hornbills kept with Chestnut Mandibled Toucans in its Main Aviary. Ground Hornbills at Toronto Zoo are kept with (or were kept with, I haven't seen them with them for a while) with the Impala and Kudu.
 
The Santa Barbara zoo used to have Southern Ground Hornbills with giraffes, crowned cranes, and spurred tortoises. The hornbills seemed quite content, but they kept bothering the tortoises.

The LA Zoo keeps a group of Greater Flamingos in their aviary with crowned cranes, scarlet ibis, roseate spoonbills, whistling ducks, turacos, and starlings.
 
Meaghan Edwards said:
I haven't seen that combo, though at Niagara's Aviary, there are Silver-cheeked Hornbills kept with Chestnut Mandibled Toucans in its Main Aviary. Ground Hornbills at Toronto Zoo are kept with (or were kept with, I haven't seen them with them for a while) with the Impala and Kudu.
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The Ground Hornbills at the Toronto Zoo are still kept with the Impala and Kudu. Although I think we only have one left.
 
The Singapore Zoo had experimented mixing Ground Hornbills with Black-backed Jackals some years back. It was the Hornbills that proved too aggressive, bullying the jackals, and had to be removed.

Currently, Singapore mixes a pair of Rhinoceros Hornbills with a bachelor troop of Proboscis Monkeys in a large netted habitat. They seem to stay out of one another's way.
 
At Bristol Zoo weve got von der deckens hornbills with red crested tourocos, spreo starlings and mellers ducks and they all are fine together
 
At Bioparc Valencia, the flamingos are with Yellow-billed Stork,and waterfowls ; and the Abyssinian hornbills are mixed with gorillas ,guenons and sitatungas, and other hornbill species are mixed with many more birds in a walk through aviary.
 
Offspring from either hornbill or carnivorous mammal would lead to separation of the two species, but which species would harass which? Would they end up fighting, as southern ground hornbill are large omnivorous birds?
 
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