Mixed bird of prey exhibits ?

Hyak_II

Well-Known Member
10+ year member
Is anyone aware of any mixed bird of prey exhibits that have actually worked out ?

I believe I saw golden and bald eagles mixed with sandhill cranes many years ago(going off of the signs), however I couldn't see any cranes on display.

Ornate hawk eagle with giant anteater ?
Red tailed Hawk with Peccaries ?
Sea Eagles with Sea Otters/Seals/Sea Lions/Fur Seals ?
 
I have to ask why you would deliberately mix predatory animals with others in one exhibit space when plainly if something goes wrong it will be at the expense of the life of one or more of the animals. It is just completely stupid.
 
It was just something that popped into my head. I read about owls in with pheasants on here a few weeks ago, and I recalled the crane/eagle exhibit from years ago, so it got the gears turning. Nothing more than passing curiosity.

However, if I completely misinterpreted your question in my first response, then I'm not sure. Perhaps a certain exhibitor enjoys the adrenaline rush of seeing what he or she can get away with ?
 
It was just something that popped into my head. I read about owls in with pheasants on here a few weeks ago, and I recalled the crane/eagle exhibit from years ago, so it got the gears turning. Nothing more than passing curiosity.

However, if I completely misinterpreted your question in my first response, then I'm not sure. Perhaps a certain exhibitor enjoys the adrenaline rush of seeing what he or she can get away with ?
it was a general response to a predator/prey question, brought on by the eagle + crane or eagle + otter in your initial post (nothing directed at you personally). Lots of zoos have mixed predators + smaller animals before (ones that spring to mind include bears and foxes, and lions and meerkats) and it is always a dumb idea. I have seen mixed bird of prey aviaries which are equally dumb (big birds of prey can and probably will end up killing smaller ones).

Funnily enough predatory + non-predatory fish mixes often work perfectly well (but not always!).
 
Mixed bird of prey exhibits

Owls & pheasants is a bad idea even if nobody gets eaten, due to the risk of disease from the owls' food and droppings. Also, mixing nocturnal and diurnal species, as one very experienced bird keeper said to me, means 'nobody gets a good night's sleep'.
As to mixing predatory species, in the wild big owls eat medium sized owls which eat small owls. 'Reduce the competition and get lunch as well'. Scavenging species might not be too bad, perhaps ravens in with vultures, although I have heard of condors being pretty dangerous to other species.
 
Andean Condors with Maguari Storks and Ducks at Berlin Zoo, Germany
King Vultures with Parrots (Macaws?) at Zoo Beauval, France
Marabou Storks with Vultures and Eagles in many zoos (aviaries)
Griffon Vultures with Przewalski Horses at Berne, Switzerland
Sekretary Birds and/or African Vultures in many zoos (savanna exhibits)
 
Andean Condors with Maguari Storks and Ducks at Berlin Zoo, Germany
King Vultures with Parrots (Macaws?) at Zoo Beauval, France
Marabou Storks with Vultures and Eagles in many zoos (aviaries)
Griffon Vultures with Przewalski Horses at Berne, Switzerland
Sekretary Birds and/or African Vultures in many zoos (savanna exhibits)
ooooh, don't get me started on wing-clipped vultures on open savannah exhibits amongst large hooved stock!! :mad:
 
You're right, but if I interpred/translate Hyak_II's question correctly, he was asking about working examples of mixed exhibits. And maybe beside accidents, they don't kill eachother, so we could say they work, even not perfect and not in an exemplary manner.
 
I have to ask why you would deliberately mix predatory animals with others in one exhibit space when plainly if something goes wrong it will be at the expense of the life of one or more of the animals. It is just completely stupid.

Ask our old….err...…"friend?", Mr David Gill! The walk through aviary of South Lakes Safari Slum has condors, king vultures, ibis, egrets and macaws! :mad:
 
Calder Park Zoo in Glasgow used to have a pair of Turkey Vulture with a pair of Coati,it worked very well for well over 7 years until the Coati passed away due to old age,in fact I believe the Turkey Vultures actually bred!
 
Disregarding aviaries that limit mixing to raptors (e.g. 2 eagle species together), the only mixes that I'm reasonably sure have been a success long-term involve secretary and bateleur. For example, at Walsrode, Germany, secretary has been kept for many years (I believe 10+ years) in their big 0.3 hectare/0.75 acre aviary with various storks, ibises, ducks, etc. I've seen bateleurs in a similar and apparently successful setting, but can't quite remember where? However, both these species rarely, if ever, take healthy, adult large birds in the wild and I guess this make them less problematic than most eagles.

From what I can understand, the problem with most eagles and hawks is that, even if they don't typically prey on the species they're mixed with, they can be rather hostile towards them. Regardless of possible inter-species aggression, I personally wouldn't call any exhibit based on raptors with clipped wings a success, but that has been discussed before on zoochat.

Vultures arguably belong in a separate category and are mixed much more widely. Commonly only a few vulture species mixed together, but sometimes also with large corvids, storks, ground hornbills, caracaras, etc. At the huge 1 hectare/2.5 acre South American aviary at Doué la Fontaine, France, Andean condor and turkey vulture are kept with a wide range of other medium to large birds, mostly parrots and water birds.
 
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Is anyone aware of any mixed bird of prey exhibits that have actually worked out ?

I believe I saw golden and bald eagles mixed with sandhill cranes many years ago(going off of the signs), however I couldn't see any cranes on display.

Ornate hawk eagle with giant anteater ?
Red tailed Hawk with Peccaries ?
Sea Eagles with Sea Otters/Seals/Sea Lions/Fur Seals ?

I could see these exhibits working. The animals on there aren't prey to these birds. I can also see mixing different vulture species together. The pheasant and owl one is a bad idea due to owls possibly eating the pheasants (and I'm sure would be interested in eating the chicks) and the mixing of diurnal and nocturnal species.
 
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