ZooChat Challenge (Global) 2017

I agree. I was thinking most people would have lists twice as long by now. It seems that visits to a few key collections (Bronx, San Diego, Dallas, Walsrode, ect) may secure any one person the win at this rate, which is something I wanted to avoid. I think it really says something that I've only had one zoo visit for the year and I'm still pretty close to the lead despite others having had 5+ visits.

~Thylo

 

Zooish will confirm or refute this, but I think anyone going to Jurong would probably add ~100 to their total.

 

I think in that case I need to spend the day in Tropical Realm

 

It was very hard to spot and I only saw it for about 15 seconds and then it flew away.

 

Sounds like the bowerbirds at Bronx and Central Park. Took me years to see them

~Thylo

 

I also have no such plans, but it's funny how these things turn out.....

Most of Jurong's on-show passerines are in huge aviaries, so it would be interesting to see how many you actually saw in a day.

 

Probably. Heliconia Walk ~ 20 species, Jungle Jewels ~ 10 species, Waterfall Aviary ~ 10 species, BoPs - 5 species (including the semi-off show ones), Wings of Asia ~ 40-50 species.

 

10 days ago I visited a butterfly-park ( Vlindertuin Vlindorado ) in the Netherlands - a new one for me. Next to the nice collection of butterflies, also a small part of the hall was seperated as being a bird-walk-through. Here I was able to find 3 new species for the Challenge :

52) Blue-necked tanager ( Tangara cyanicollis ) ( see Blue-necked tanager | ZooChat )
53) Yellow ( Senegal ) white-eye ( Zosterops senegalensis )
54 ) Southern red bishop ( Euplectes orix ) ( see Southern red bishop | ZooChat )

 

Funny that I got to the right number in the wrong way. I thought Jungle Jewels and the Waterfall Aviary had more species than that.

 

Today we ( my wife and I ) went to Belgium and visited the Olmense Zoo, one of the few collections with still a good collection of Passerines. I can add no less then 16 new species to my year-list, missed even some and from one I still have to find out which species it is !
55) Asian azure-winged magpie ( Cyanopica cyanus ) ( see Asian azure-winged magpie | ZooChat )
56) Green cardinal ( Gubernatrix cristata )
57) Long-tailed glossy starling ( Lamprotornis caudatus ) ( see Long-tailed glossy starling | ZooChat )
58) Meves's long-tailed starling ( Lamprotornis mevesii ) ( see Meves's glossy starling | ZooChat )
59) Greater hill mynah ( Gracula religiosa ) ( see Greater hill mynah | ZooChat )
60) Red-billed blue magpie ( Urocissa erythroryncha )
61) Red-winged starling ( Onychognathus morio ) ( see Red-winged starling | ZooChat )
62) Black-breasted thrush ( Turdus dissimilis ) ( see Black-breasted thrush | ZooChat )
63) Black-throated magpie-jay ( Calocitta colliei ) ( see
Black-throated magpie-jay | ZooChat )
64) Silky starling ( Poliopsar sericeus ) ( see Silky starling | ZooChat )
65) White-headed buffalo weaver ( Dimemellia dimemelli )
66) Black-throated laughing thrush ( Dryonastes chinensis )
67) White-crested laughing thrush ( Garrulax leucolophus ) ( see White-crested lauging thrush | ZooChat )
68) European starling ( Sturnus vulgaris )
69) Common mynah ( Acridotheres tristis ) ( see Common mynah's | ZooChat )
70) Blackbird ( Turdus merula ) ( see Blackbird | ZooChat ).

Zootierliste mention another 4 species of passerines which should be kept at the Olmense Zoo but these I didn't found ( orange-headed ground thrush, pin-tailed whydah, red-crested cardinal and Sahel paradise whydah ). Esp. this last one is a pitty I didn't see it because the Olmense Zoo should be the only public collection in Europe with this species.....

 

Shanghai Zoo, February 27th:

20. Black-collared Starling, Sturnus nutritionist
21. Silky Starling, Sturnus services
22. Grey Starling, Sturnus cineraceus
23. Red-billed Blue Magpie, Urocissa erythrorhyncha
24. Java Sparrow, Padda oryzivora
25. Yellow-cheeked Tit, Machlolophus spilonotus
26. Green Magpie, Cissa chinensis
27. Orange-bellied Leafbird, Chloropsis hardwickii

There were quite a few more species signed in the Songbird Walkthrough Aviary. I may get them later in the year.

 

Autocorrect strikes again I'm afraid.

Sturnus nutritionist is of course one of the hardest species to maintain in captivity, due to the highly specialized diet they require.

 

Little correction : 69) should be Bank mynah ( Acridotheres ginginianus )

 

I visited Zoo in Wien February. Thankfully, it was before a bird flu affected the zoo in Wien (I feel so sorry for the zoo). It was great visit. I tried see all Passerines but it was impossible. But I observed two species of bulbuls which are so rare in Europe. Happy at all

18) Cuban Grassquit / Tiaris canorus
19) Southern Red Bishop / Euplectes orix
20) Green-winged Pytiia / Pytilia melba
21) Broad-ringed White-eye / Zosterops poliogastrus
22) Ultramarine Grosbeak / Cyanocompsa brissonii
23) Blue-and-yellow Tanager / Thraupis bonariensis
24) Turquoise Tanager / Tangara mexicana
25) Purple Honeycreeper / Cyanerpes caeruleus
26) Brazilian Tanager / Ramphocelus bresilius
27) Blue-backed Manakin / Chiroxiphia pareola
28) Black Bulbul / Hypsipetes leucocephalus
29) Orange-Bellied Leafbird / Chloropsis hardwickii
30) Jawa Sparrow / Padda oryzivora
31) Oriental White-eye / Zosterops palpebrosus
32) Scaly-breasted Bulbul / Pycnonotus squamatus
33) Ruby-throated Bulbul / Pycnonotus dispar
34) Malachite Sunbird / Nectarinia famosa
35) Red-cheeked Cordonbleu / Uraeginthus bengalus

Photos of photographed birds can be found here: Zoo Big Year - Passerines :-) | Facebook

 

Catoctin Wildlife Preserve and Zoo 3/25/17
26. White-necked raven Corvus albicollis
27. Pied crow Corvus albus

ZooAmerica 3/25/17
28. Black-billed magpie Pica hudsonia

 

Chester Zoo 01/04/2017

36) Grey-Winged Blackbird (Turdus boulboul)
37) Collared Grosbeak (Mycerobas affinis)
38) Javan Green Magpie (Cissa thalassina)

 

Philadelphia Zoo 4/1/17
29. Golden-breasted starling Lamprotornis regius
30. Magpie-shrike Urolestes melanoleucus
31. Bali mynah Leucopsar rothschildi
32. Saffron finch Sicalis flaveola
33. Blue dacnis Dacnis cayana
34. White-vented bulbul Pyconotus barbatus
35. Collared finchbilled bulbul Spizixos semitorques

Jealous!