Part 1 – Entrance Pond and Aviaries
In December of last year, I spent a week in Honolulu on my first international trip outside of Australia. I unfortunately spent a large chunk of my holiday sick and admittedly downtown Honolulu is not exactly a huge wildlife hotspot but I did spend a very pleasant day at the zoo near Waikiki Beach. The zoo is located in a very convenient site within the Kapiʻolani Regional Park with a large open green space with views out towards the ocean’s horizons and hordes of sun-baked tourists among a sea of umbrellas. In the hours before the zoo opened, I spent it searching for birds and also took advantage of the clear water to look for reef fish along the park. Endemic Saddled Wrasses, and Moorish Idols were very easy to see from the rocky barriers in the crystal-clear water. I further picked up some fascinating introduced species with two male White-rumped Shamas, Yellow-fronted Canaries, Common Waxbills, Rose-ringed Parakeets and lots of Red-crested Cardinals around the zoo’s entrance while I waited for the zoo to open in the growing line. The zoo opened at 10:00am and was $21 USD ($31 AUD) which I thought was a reasonable price for a largish zoo. I was of course particularly excited to see many species of animals that aren’t currently found in Australian zoos. Upon paying, I unfortunately saw that during my visit the African Penguins and African aviary were going to be closed. Darn! I wanted turacos! Two important areas I wanted to see but however all this quickly disappeared as I could already hear the first species as I paid my entrance and wandered into the ageing front of the zoo. The zoo starts with a waterbird display that was sectioned off into two halves; on the far side were excitingly my first American Flamingos mixed with African Sacred Ibis. Flamingos are of course staple zoo birds traditionally but the last flamingo in Australia died in 2018 and will not be replaced for the foreseeable due to strict import restrictions especially with birds. The small flock were absolutely enchanting. Eye-catching wonders. The other half of this display was for a real mishmash of waterfowl with a feature pair of Black Swan with a range of smaller species; Mandarin Duck, a striking male Northern Pintail, Ringed Teal, Rosy-billed Pochard and a few out-of-place domestic ducks as well. Really nice to see some South American ducks especially and Ringed Teal were my favourite of the lot. This initial duck pond is slated to become a wetlands aviary for Hawaiian birds with an enclosed boardwalk – the local coot, moorhen, stilt and the two duck species – which is planned to commence a local biome project to have an entrance space for Hawaiian species. The phase after this development – tropical islands with a mountain forest and dry forest/grassland aviary – has apparently been postponed and are still conceptual. According to a public document I found funding was secured in 2020 for the wetlands aviary but it’s not clear when it will (or if it will even) commence.
American Flamingo
Flamingo enclosure
The buzz continued with two similarly sized aviaries next to each that were opposite the swans. The first contained Linne’s Two-toed Sloth which I was able to admire for the first time. I’d never seen sloths, but while clearly an old exhibit, it seemed to be a decent size for the single individual with a good three-dimensional space for climbing however it was resting in an ugly pet pack. First-hand I was able to see the pull sloths have on visitors with a growing crowd surrounding the exhibit with the same eagerness as I had. The sloth was mixed with three bird species; a single Grey-winged Trumpeter added character, noise and movement to the forest floor while a Blue-crowned Motmot left a lasting impression with its brilliance and elegance. They were bigger than I was expecting! There was also a random Red-whiskered Bulbul as well. Next was an identical aviary for two Linne’s Two-toed Sloths – they were siblings – a product of the zoo’s good breeding record. Their breeding male is a wild-born founder from Guyana and fortunately has sired several young with some moving to the mainland. This time the sloths were mixed with a pair of Golden Lion Tamarins which showcased to me the versatility of how sloths can be exhibited with a range of species. I returned later for the sloth talk and enjoyed seeing these sloths being fed as they hung from their rear legs as the keeper fed them.
Sloth/motmot enclosure
Blue-crowned Motmot
Continuing the long row of aviaries, the lifers came in quick succession. The zoo’s crown jewels with their three species of birds-of-paradise were up next with an odd mix of Green Iguana and my first Victoria Crowned Pigeon first. Big, dramatic and engaging birds. The perfect zoo bird. Considering Australia’s close proximity to New Guinea, it’s a shame our zoos cannot access these birds which were historically present. I have been fortunate to see one bird-of-paradise species in the wild as I have the local one in south-east Queensland – the Paradise Riflebird – in a few rainforest fragments. But the ones at Honolulu were completely unfamiliar to me with three different spaces for Ragianna Bird-of-Paradise with two orange-tailed males and a female in between, watching them both intently. Introductions were underway seemingly. There was also a single male for both the curly-tailed Magnificent Bird-of-Paradise who had his bottle green throat feathers fanned out in full and Superb Bird-of-Paradise. The latter did a little display fanning out its feathers and I caught glimpses of deep iridescence. There were also two aviaries for another incredible New Guinean species being the charismatic Green-naped Pheasant-Pigeon. All very simple but well-planted aviaries but I was awestruck by their inhabitants.
Magnificent Bird-of-Paradise
Ragianna Bird-of-Paradise aviary
There was a lot of construction occurring involving several of the subsequent aviaries and some exhibits were empty. Some species were off-show like the barn owl while I further couldn’t seem to find all of the parrots the zoo lists on the website. That’s important to consider as all of the smaller aviaries sort of blurred into one mass of new species and the exact species line-up is a bit foggy now. Anyway, the next row of aviaries I came across started with a tall aviary for a pair of stunning Wrinkled Hornbills that were feeding at eye-level. One of three hornbills at the zoo and all of them were of course new to me. The quiet aviary row continued tucked in a small edge of the zoo as they often are. I enjoyed seeing Grey-capped Emerald Doves which look very different to the brown-capped variety on mainland Australia and White-throated Ground-Doves from the Northern Mariana Islands with a pair inhabiting a separate aviary. Then were the familiar Tawny Frogmouth mixed with Luzon Bleeding-heart Dove and Palawan Peacock-Pheasant. I breezed past Laughing Kookaburras in a cramped exhibit that neighboured a wonderful little mix of Roul-Roul Partridge which are just delightful with a pair of Black-naped Fruit-Doves feeding. The final aviary had some pet-shop Peaceface Lovebirds with a chunky little Red-billed Leiothrix and unseen Eastern Rosella.
Wrinkled Hornbill
Black-naped Fruit-Dove
Aviary row
A bit further on was a very exciting enclosure. It was an open-topped weedy yard for several Nēnē. A small goose with attractive striping on its neck and blackish face and feet. A species with an epic story of course and thanks to captive breeding and management its numbers have recovered. The next row of aviaries had a few island endemics among some Asian species. There were Great Argus in two aviaries with more Grey-headed Emerald Dove and the wonderful Golden White-eye in one, and Pied Imperial-Pigeon and the eye-popping Asian Fairy Bluebird in the other. The male fairy bluebirds reminded me of a Regent Bowerbird that had its yellow replaced with blue. The female was the nicest shade of muted blue as well. Continuing past Nicobar Pigeons, there was another aviary with more active Golden White-eye sharing the exhibit with a single Mariana Fruit-Dove and a Pacific Golden-Plover. There were more Luzon Bleeding-heart Doves neighbouring a pair of incredible White-crowned Laughingthrushes. There were two more aviaries with one housing Palawan Peacock-Pheasant exclusively and a final exhibit with surplus birds including yet more Palawan Peacock-Pheasant, White-throated Ground-Dove, Asian Fairy Bluebird and Golden White-eye. It was a treat to see so many of these unique and unmistakeable white-eyes. I didn’t even know they were on-show at the zoo so it was a surprise.
Nēnē
Golden White-eye
Mariana Fruit-Dove
The final row of four aviaries is more towards the entrance and are larger spaces for their occupants, containing a few neotropical species with an assortment of waterfowl. There was a uncomfortably small aviary for a single King Vulture. Then there was the main waterfowl display with Laysan Teal, Hawaiian Stilt, Brown Booby and the pink twins – Roseate Spoonbill and Scarlet Ibis. A flock ofCrested Oropendolas were a nice touch in the trees above as a great point of difference. More teal was next door with Rosy-billed Pochard, Northern Pintail, Sun Conure and unseen Wrinkled Hornbill. No Hawaiian Ducks as far as I could tell but I might have simply missed them. Finally, there was a hyperactive Toco Toucan that was magnificent to see. Overall, most of the aviaries were a simple affair with a good amount of vegetation but generally some really lacked space for their occupants despite the many wonderous species they contained.
Waterbird aviaries
Brown Booby
In December of last year, I spent a week in Honolulu on my first international trip outside of Australia. I unfortunately spent a large chunk of my holiday sick and admittedly downtown Honolulu is not exactly a huge wildlife hotspot but I did spend a very pleasant day at the zoo near Waikiki Beach. The zoo is located in a very convenient site within the Kapiʻolani Regional Park with a large open green space with views out towards the ocean’s horizons and hordes of sun-baked tourists among a sea of umbrellas. In the hours before the zoo opened, I spent it searching for birds and also took advantage of the clear water to look for reef fish along the park. Endemic Saddled Wrasses, and Moorish Idols were very easy to see from the rocky barriers in the crystal-clear water. I further picked up some fascinating introduced species with two male White-rumped Shamas, Yellow-fronted Canaries, Common Waxbills, Rose-ringed Parakeets and lots of Red-crested Cardinals around the zoo’s entrance while I waited for the zoo to open in the growing line. The zoo opened at 10:00am and was $21 USD ($31 AUD) which I thought was a reasonable price for a largish zoo. I was of course particularly excited to see many species of animals that aren’t currently found in Australian zoos. Upon paying, I unfortunately saw that during my visit the African Penguins and African aviary were going to be closed. Darn! I wanted turacos! Two important areas I wanted to see but however all this quickly disappeared as I could already hear the first species as I paid my entrance and wandered into the ageing front of the zoo. The zoo starts with a waterbird display that was sectioned off into two halves; on the far side were excitingly my first American Flamingos mixed with African Sacred Ibis. Flamingos are of course staple zoo birds traditionally but the last flamingo in Australia died in 2018 and will not be replaced for the foreseeable due to strict import restrictions especially with birds. The small flock were absolutely enchanting. Eye-catching wonders. The other half of this display was for a real mishmash of waterfowl with a feature pair of Black Swan with a range of smaller species; Mandarin Duck, a striking male Northern Pintail, Ringed Teal, Rosy-billed Pochard and a few out-of-place domestic ducks as well. Really nice to see some South American ducks especially and Ringed Teal were my favourite of the lot. This initial duck pond is slated to become a wetlands aviary for Hawaiian birds with an enclosed boardwalk – the local coot, moorhen, stilt and the two duck species – which is planned to commence a local biome project to have an entrance space for Hawaiian species. The phase after this development – tropical islands with a mountain forest and dry forest/grassland aviary – has apparently been postponed and are still conceptual. According to a public document I found funding was secured in 2020 for the wetlands aviary but it’s not clear when it will (or if it will even) commence.
American Flamingo
Flamingo enclosure
The buzz continued with two similarly sized aviaries next to each that were opposite the swans. The first contained Linne’s Two-toed Sloth which I was able to admire for the first time. I’d never seen sloths, but while clearly an old exhibit, it seemed to be a decent size for the single individual with a good three-dimensional space for climbing however it was resting in an ugly pet pack. First-hand I was able to see the pull sloths have on visitors with a growing crowd surrounding the exhibit with the same eagerness as I had. The sloth was mixed with three bird species; a single Grey-winged Trumpeter added character, noise and movement to the forest floor while a Blue-crowned Motmot left a lasting impression with its brilliance and elegance. They were bigger than I was expecting! There was also a random Red-whiskered Bulbul as well. Next was an identical aviary for two Linne’s Two-toed Sloths – they were siblings – a product of the zoo’s good breeding record. Their breeding male is a wild-born founder from Guyana and fortunately has sired several young with some moving to the mainland. This time the sloths were mixed with a pair of Golden Lion Tamarins which showcased to me the versatility of how sloths can be exhibited with a range of species. I returned later for the sloth talk and enjoyed seeing these sloths being fed as they hung from their rear legs as the keeper fed them.
Sloth/motmot enclosure
Blue-crowned Motmot
Continuing the long row of aviaries, the lifers came in quick succession. The zoo’s crown jewels with their three species of birds-of-paradise were up next with an odd mix of Green Iguana and my first Victoria Crowned Pigeon first. Big, dramatic and engaging birds. The perfect zoo bird. Considering Australia’s close proximity to New Guinea, it’s a shame our zoos cannot access these birds which were historically present. I have been fortunate to see one bird-of-paradise species in the wild as I have the local one in south-east Queensland – the Paradise Riflebird – in a few rainforest fragments. But the ones at Honolulu were completely unfamiliar to me with three different spaces for Ragianna Bird-of-Paradise with two orange-tailed males and a female in between, watching them both intently. Introductions were underway seemingly. There was also a single male for both the curly-tailed Magnificent Bird-of-Paradise who had his bottle green throat feathers fanned out in full and Superb Bird-of-Paradise. The latter did a little display fanning out its feathers and I caught glimpses of deep iridescence. There were also two aviaries for another incredible New Guinean species being the charismatic Green-naped Pheasant-Pigeon. All very simple but well-planted aviaries but I was awestruck by their inhabitants.
Magnificent Bird-of-Paradise
Ragianna Bird-of-Paradise aviary
There was a lot of construction occurring involving several of the subsequent aviaries and some exhibits were empty. Some species were off-show like the barn owl while I further couldn’t seem to find all of the parrots the zoo lists on the website. That’s important to consider as all of the smaller aviaries sort of blurred into one mass of new species and the exact species line-up is a bit foggy now. Anyway, the next row of aviaries I came across started with a tall aviary for a pair of stunning Wrinkled Hornbills that were feeding at eye-level. One of three hornbills at the zoo and all of them were of course new to me. The quiet aviary row continued tucked in a small edge of the zoo as they often are. I enjoyed seeing Grey-capped Emerald Doves which look very different to the brown-capped variety on mainland Australia and White-throated Ground-Doves from the Northern Mariana Islands with a pair inhabiting a separate aviary. Then were the familiar Tawny Frogmouth mixed with Luzon Bleeding-heart Dove and Palawan Peacock-Pheasant. I breezed past Laughing Kookaburras in a cramped exhibit that neighboured a wonderful little mix of Roul-Roul Partridge which are just delightful with a pair of Black-naped Fruit-Doves feeding. The final aviary had some pet-shop Peaceface Lovebirds with a chunky little Red-billed Leiothrix and unseen Eastern Rosella.
Wrinkled Hornbill
Black-naped Fruit-Dove
Aviary row
A bit further on was a very exciting enclosure. It was an open-topped weedy yard for several Nēnē. A small goose with attractive striping on its neck and blackish face and feet. A species with an epic story of course and thanks to captive breeding and management its numbers have recovered. The next row of aviaries had a few island endemics among some Asian species. There were Great Argus in two aviaries with more Grey-headed Emerald Dove and the wonderful Golden White-eye in one, and Pied Imperial-Pigeon and the eye-popping Asian Fairy Bluebird in the other. The male fairy bluebirds reminded me of a Regent Bowerbird that had its yellow replaced with blue. The female was the nicest shade of muted blue as well. Continuing past Nicobar Pigeons, there was another aviary with more active Golden White-eye sharing the exhibit with a single Mariana Fruit-Dove and a Pacific Golden-Plover. There were more Luzon Bleeding-heart Doves neighbouring a pair of incredible White-crowned Laughingthrushes. There were two more aviaries with one housing Palawan Peacock-Pheasant exclusively and a final exhibit with surplus birds including yet more Palawan Peacock-Pheasant, White-throated Ground-Dove, Asian Fairy Bluebird and Golden White-eye. It was a treat to see so many of these unique and unmistakeable white-eyes. I didn’t even know they were on-show at the zoo so it was a surprise.
Nēnē
Golden White-eye
Mariana Fruit-Dove
The final row of four aviaries is more towards the entrance and are larger spaces for their occupants, containing a few neotropical species with an assortment of waterfowl. There was a uncomfortably small aviary for a single King Vulture. Then there was the main waterfowl display with Laysan Teal, Hawaiian Stilt, Brown Booby and the pink twins – Roseate Spoonbill and Scarlet Ibis. A flock ofCrested Oropendolas were a nice touch in the trees above as a great point of difference. More teal was next door with Rosy-billed Pochard, Northern Pintail, Sun Conure and unseen Wrinkled Hornbill. No Hawaiian Ducks as far as I could tell but I might have simply missed them. Finally, there was a hyperactive Toco Toucan that was magnificent to see. Overall, most of the aviaries were a simple affair with a good amount of vegetation but generally some really lacked space for their occupants despite the many wonderous species they contained.
Waterbird aviaries
Brown Booby
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) turacos and African penguins are a dime a dozen here, so shouldn't be too hard to get that experience back. I wouldn't be surprised if San Diego Zoo is on your bucket list for example, and they have both African penguins and a few turaco species - not to mention two very well-stocked African aviaries!
I will definitely do a percentage at the end.