PaleoZooLogic
Member
Wait, I didn't know African Jacana's were rare under human care. I know I saw one for a few years at San Diego Zoo's Africa Rocks area.
And bizarrely none of those 6 are in Mexico!
I was fortunate to see hoatzin in the Diving Bird House at Bronx Zoo in 1990.
(It is possible I also saw hoatzin at London Zoo in 1955 but I was only a very young child at the time land have no recollection of seeing them then.)
CarnotaurusSastrei
Well-Known Member
They're apparently only held at 4 institutions at the moment according to zootierliste (Animal Kingdom, Pairi Daiza, Sylvan Heights, and Weltvogelpark Walsrode). The one I saw was at Henry Doorly Zoo back in 2014.
I saw 4 adult hoatzins in the same building in 1991. It was one of the most surprising and unexpected species I've ever seen at a zoo
In the Bronx Zoo, I’ve seen Bail Mynahs at both World of Birds and Jungleworld on some occassions, but the one rarest bird that the Bronx has a successful breeding program is the Maleo, which is one of the first birds you see in the exhibits at World of Birds.
I had no idea Maleos, like the Bail Mynahs, were also critically endangered which is why I admire the Zoo for helping save those unique birds from the very brink of exintction.
I had no idea Maleos, like the Bail Mynahs, were also critically endangered which is why I admire the Zoo for helping save those unique birds from the very brink of exintction.
AndyJ08
Well-Known Member
When I used to live in Texas, I visited DWA often and I remember their species list was phenomenal. I just revisited a few months ago, and was blown away by the bird species diversity, (multiple firsts for me)
-Ornate Hawk Eagle
-Great Tinamou
-Screaming Piha
-Shoebill
- Pesquet’s Parrot
-Ornate Hawk Eagle
-Great Tinamou
-Screaming Piha
-Shoebill
- Pesquet’s Parrot
My rarest is probably Regent Honeyeater at Taronga Zoo.
kermodei
Well-Known Member
My memory is foggy as I was both young at the time and rushed through the area (it was incredibly crowded and overwhelming for little me), but I do recall seeing Socorro doves in the Smithsonian zoo's bird house. Whilst back here in Canada, I've seen both crested partridges (not sure just how rare they are in captivity but they are considered vulnerable by the IUCN) and a macaw hybrid of some sort at the Bloedel Conservatory. I've also seen and worked with Northern spotted owls, though they weren't at a public zoo so I'm not sure if they count. 
Side note, there's quite a collection of non-releasable birds of prey at a local bird rehab here, which I've visited on multiple occasions, and I'd be curious to know if any of them are considered rare in captivity...
Side note, there's quite a collection of non-releasable birds of prey at a local bird rehab here, which I've visited on multiple occasions, and I'd be curious to know if any of them are considered rare in captivity...
Crested Partridge are very common in zoos.My memory is foggy as I was both young at the time and rushed through the area (it was incredibly crowded and overwhelming for little me), but I do recall seeing Socorro doves in the Smithsonian zoo's bird house. Whilst back here in Canada, I've seen both crested partridges (not sure just how rare they are in captivity but they are considered vulnerable by the IUCN) and a macaw hybrid of some sort at the Bloedel Conservatory. I've also seen and worked with Northern spotted owls, though they weren't at a public zoo so I'm not sure if they count.
Side note, there's quite a collection of non-releasable birds of prey at a local bird rehab here, which I've visited on multiple occasions, and I'd be curious to know if any of them are considered rare in captivity...
It depends on what you mean by "rarest". If rare in zoos, Moonlit Sanctuary had the only Australian owlet-nightjar in captivity for several years, so that is pretty rare, and I doubt there were many holders ever prior to the birds we held (which came from Taronga)
If in terms of conservation, orange-bellied parrots were down to 17 wild birds in spring 2016, so that is also pretty rare. Extinct in the Wild is not regarded as a threatened category, they have gone past threatened.
If in terms of conservation, orange-bellied parrots were down to 17 wild birds in spring 2016, so that is also pretty rare. Extinct in the Wild is not regarded as a threatened category, they have gone past threatened.
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Bali starlings (mynahs) breed very well in captivity, so are common in zoos. Indeed there are reasonable numbers in private hands, especially in Europe.
Maleos, though, are extremely rare, both in the wild and in captivity.
I've seen a lot of "rare" birds at zoos in places like Fiji (e.g. Orange and Golden Doves spring to mind), New Caledonia (e.g. Cloven-feathered Dove, New Caledonian Imperial Pigeon, Ouvea Parakeet), New Zealand (e.g. Takahe, Kakapo, Okarito Kiwi, Orange-fronted Kakariki), Australia (e.g. Australian Owlet-Nightjar, Orange-bellied Parrot), and southeast Asia (e.g. Maleo, Sumba Hornbill, Helmeted Hornbill, New Guinea Harpy Eagle, Philippine Eagle). The "rarest" bird I've seen in a European zoo is Grey-necked Picathartes.
Obviously Philippine eagle which I've seen in both Antwerp and Planckendael zoos.
Furthermore certainly white-necked picathartes in Frankfurt, Lear's and Spix macaw at Pairi Daiza, African golden cat in Blijdorp Rotterdam, Coquerel's sifaka in Köln (a very rare species in Europe but rather common in America) and seven-coloured tanager in Antwerp and Eberwalde.
Furthermore certainly white-necked picathartes in Frankfurt, Lear's and Spix macaw at Pairi Daiza, African golden cat in Blijdorp Rotterdam, Coquerel's sifaka in Köln (a very rare species in Europe but rather common in America) and seven-coloured tanager in Antwerp and Eberwalde.
Did you mean to include the African golden cat and Coquerel's sifaka, Philipine eagle?
In terms of status in captivity the rarest I’ve seen would be the Black-faced Cormorant. There is only one individual of this species on public display (at Melbourne Zoo in the Great Flight Aviary) in the world, however, this is an easy species to see in the wild.
As for wild status, that would be the Orange-bellied Parrot which is restricted to coastal habitat in Tasmania, Victoria and South Australia in very low numbers that are prone to fluctuation. Several zoos have this species on display
As for wild status, that would be the Orange-bellied Parrot which is restricted to coastal habitat in Tasmania, Victoria and South Australia in very low numbers that are prone to fluctuation. Several zoos have this species on display
I saw both grey-necked picathartes and white-necked picathartes at London Zoo when I was a very young child; these were, I believe, the first individuals of their species ever displayed in any zoo. In those childhood days birds, however unusual, didn't interest me as much as mammals so, regrettably, these picathartes didn't get the attention they deserved.
Fortunately, though, years later I subsequently saw grey-necked picathartes in Frankfurt and white-necked picathartes in Antwerp, Rotterdam, Vienna and Frankfurt.