there's a good article here (from last year) about the Andean flamingo effort involving Sylvan Heights and the Vesty Pakos zoo in La Paz: Bolivian couple lead the way in conserving, caring for rare flamingos
I have been mulling a bit over this Andean flamingo project. Could not also both Berlin Zoo and Slimbridge get on board this project and establish a global ex situ conservation breeding initiative with an in situ component in Bolivia and beyond the region (Chile ... et cetera)?
I hope something like this happens. Breeding isn't going too well in Slimbridge, even though they have the larger flock (22 individuals compared to Berlin's 7). Do the governments of Chile or Bolivia allow exports?
No idea. I suspect if it gets done thru ALPZA, who knows anything is possible. Perhaps, this could also stimulate exchanges on pudu, vicuna and other species! Quid pro quo: support for in situ action and assistance with developing regional conservation breeding programmes both in kind, advice and animal exchanges. Incidentally, Zoologico de Santiago, Chile has a Chilean flamingo group - why mention this their director is the Chairman of ALPZA -.
New Exhibit Opening Spring 2017! Highlights include the opening date of Wings of the Tropics (April 29th), hatching of a Senegal thick-knee, and assisting the La Paz Zoo (Bolivia) in establishing a captive Andean flamingo flock (!). Perhaps a potential source for imports in the future? Also, could a mod move this thread to its appropriate sub forum now that one exists?[/QUOTE]] This is great news. Very excited about their new animals coming and the much more part is very annoying and so is the hummingbirds.
Unfortunately, yes, just 3.4. Slimbridge's 22 are unsexed and haven't had much breeding success. Puna flamingos, also held by both, have much fewer numbers- 1.0, extremely old, at Slimbridge and 4.6 at Berlin.
Damn, that's depressing.I know the Puna "colony" at Berlin hit a high of 14 birds a couple years ago, so I can imagine they have perhaps lost a couple of their older birds since then (hopefully so, and in a few years the young birds will start to breed once again). It would be nice if Slimbridge could do something to help bolster breeding, perhaps send a few to Berlin to buff their colony and hopefully stimulate breeding. Either way, hopefully Sylvan Heights work with the Andeans will be successful! (and hopefully some will end up out of South America, too )
I was interning at Sylvan heights when Omar and Sol came to learn how to rear flamingos, they practised on the 3 chilean and 4 american flamingos I was hand rearing. I believe that there are no long term plans to collaborate with Slimbridge and Berlin in the export of Andean or James Flamingos, as it is difficult to get anything in or out of the country. Sylvan heights has also not planned to export any of the flamingos to their facility either, the main goal of the project is to set up a captive population in Boliva, for education purposes from the discarded fertile eggs collected legally by the local people. The collection as a whole at Sylvan heights is extremely impressive, the main park houses the largest collection of Wildfowl available to view by the public in the world, as well as housing non waterfowl species, including Whooping cranes, Broad bill hummingbirds, Raggina Bird of paradise, Victoria and western crowned pigeons, Mountain witch doves, Green naped pheasant pigeons, plush crested jays, toco toucans, wreathed hornbills etc. The park is only half of the collection there is also a 12 acre off display breeding centre which houses the most delicate wildfowl, such as white wing wood ducks, madagascan teal, indian pygmy, green pygmy, african pygmy geese, pink eared ducks, cuckoo ducks and harlequin ducks, as well as, an impressive collection of curassows, Great argus pheasants and Red legged seriemas. The facility as a whole is very impressive and I would encourage anyone interested in birds to visit
Do you know what new species are going to be on display in the upcoming exhibit? I can go next week, but that would be stupid.
I am unsure as to what exactly will be in the new Wings of the Tropics exhibit as it has been over 6 months since I was at Sylvan, but whilst I was there it looked as if there was going to be: a small duck species (pygmy geese or pink ears), hummingbirds (probably Broadbilled), tropical jays (Plush crested, Green etc.), Toucans (Toco/ Keel billed), Curassows(these species are kept but i am unsure as to which ones will be exhibited, Helmeted, Great, Wattled, Yellow Knobbed, Black), turacos, ground doves ( Luzon bleeding heart, mountain witch, Green naped pheasant pigeon, Western crowned pigeon). I am sure that there will also be a number of other unusual softbills and there may even be the possibility of housing a large tropical raptor species in the adjacent avairy. Either way @drill it wouldn't be a stupid decision to go and visit, as whatever they decide to put in will be interesting.
Wings of the Tropics is now open. Tropical birds descend on the Valley I will visit soon for photos, species lists, and a review.
Species List for Wings of the Tropics: 1. Free flight aviary: African jacana African pygmy goose Broad-billed hummingbird Crested quail-dove Gambel's quail Golden-breasted bunting* Green-naped pheasant pigeon Grosbeak starling Hooded parakeet Inca tern Luzon bleeding heart dove Orange-cheeked waxbill Pin-tailed whydah Red-billed firefinch Spur-winged plover Yellow-hooded blackbird Sectioned off aviaries: 2. Costa's hummingbird, montezuma quail 3. Bearded barbet 4. Plush-crested jay 5. Toco toucan 6. Sunbittern* 7. Red-legged seriema 8. African fish eagle 9. Green jay, black crake~ *did not see ~not signed Also, the small aviary which was formerly African-focused has changed some of its species. Since the pygmy goose and jacana moved across to the path to the new exhibit, it is now home to the following species: Hottentot teal (unchanged) Emerald starling (unchanged I think) Grey-winged trumpeter (new) Pink-eared duck (newly on exhibit). I participated in Duckling Day today- a tour of the behind-the-scenes breeding center. It was absolutely fantastic. I finally saw flying steamer ducks and a slew of other species I'm sure are rare. I saw all three species of pygmy geese in one day. Photos will come, but it'll be a slow process, as school is particularly hectic at the moment.
My photos of the center have been posted. I felt okay doing so as it was a public invitation to view it. Also, here are the recent hatches I am aware of at the park: 2 hooded mergansers 1 American merganser 2 Chinese mergansers 2 maccoa ducks 1 pink-eared duck 5 Argentinian red shovelers 1 southern pochard 8 Indian spot-billed ducks 6 Andean geese 1 muscovy duck 3 black-necked swans 3 blonde mandarin ducks (color morph) 2 mandarin ducks 1 ruddy-headed goose For the most part, those are species hatched within the last two or three weeks. That's 38 individuals!
I bought this book (and got it signed by Mike Lubbock) on my recent visit, and it was an amazing read! The chapters focus on his various expeditions to foreign countries to collect wildlife, as well as other things like helping the Queen of England breed her geese. Some highlights included a chapter about Mr. Lubbock's 1972 expedition to Botswana (which lead to the establishment of African pygmy-geese, maccoa ducks, and African white-backed ducks in captivity), and "Peril in Patagonia" chapter in which Mr. Lubbock almost died due to storm conditions while in Chile. It talks about (unfortunately) failing to establish the torrent duck in captivity, as well as collection various other species such as Magellanic steam duck and ruddy-headed goose (still present in collections today!) as well as the Patagonian kelp-goose (which unfortunately isn't). A particularly depressing chapter was about the extinction of Guatemala's Atitlán grebe, and the failure to save it despite many efforts. It also, of course, goes into the founding of Sylvan Heights Bird Park. I highly recommend it to anyone who likes zoos- even if waterfowl aren't your thing, it is a great read regardless. This led to a shift in species on exhibit. The few Chileans that the park did have previously were moved to the South American aviary and joined by new individuals. The American flamingos took their place alongside lesser flamingos in the flamingo portion of the African aviary. Exhibit species changes: Species newly on exhibit (since August 6, 2016): Africa: Snowy egret African Finches: Village indigobird Namaqua dove Society finch Australia: Australian brush-turkey (this male is on exhibit seasonally, when it is warmer) Misc. Aviaries: Burrowing owl Wings of the Tropics: See post #36 for details of what species are on exhibit in this new exhibit Stand-alone Aviary: Pink-eared duck Grey-winged trumpeter Emerald starling Peafowl & Pheasants: Green Junglefowl Flamingos: American flamingo Eurasia: Edward's pheasant Misc. North America: Ross' goose North America: Bobwhite quail Common merganser Great egret Ross' goose (unsigned) Snowy egret South America: Chilean flamingo Muscovy duck Ruddy-headed goose Ruff Aviary: Ruff (kind of ironic) Sign was added for Senegal thick-knee (already on exhibit) Landing Zone: Sign added for elegant-crested tinamou (already on exhibit) Mulga parrot Northern rosella Now, for a much more depressing list of species off exhibit since August 6, 2016: Africa: Blacksmith plover Snowy egret (likely moved to North America) Stand-alone Aviary: African jacana (moved to WotT) African pygmy-goose (moved to WotT) Crested quail-dove (moved to WotT) White-eared bulbul Peafowl & Pheasants: Eurasian turtle-dove Grosbeak starling (moved to WotT) Yellow-hooded blackbird (moved to WotT) Flamingos: Chilean flamingo (moved to South America) Eurasia: Bewick's swan Chinese merganser Chinese spot-billed duck Common eider Gadwall North America: Blue-winged teal Cattle egret Harlequin duck King eider Mallard Snowy egret (moved to Africa) Misc. South America: East African grey crowned crane South America: Coscoroba swan Bewick's swan and king eider are by far the two I am most disappointed about, with harlequin duck not far behind. I believe the swans are the only of their kind in America. The eiders are also quite rare and in both of the collections I've visited this year so far that have the species, they were behind-the-scenes. I'll see one later this year but it will no longer be in breeding plumage. A few members have requested that I write a review of this facility, so I will start doing so shortly
Ruff and hummingbirds now in Wings of the World. African fish eagle and lesser flamingo not out. Flying steamer ducks in flamingo exhibit. Junglefowl not there. Common moorhen, plush crested jay, grey peacock pheasant, and a toucan species added to Landing Zone. Saddle-billed stork exhibit finished also has Hartlaub's ducks and Helmeted guineafowls. Golden-breasted bunting in aviaries by Australia aviary, which has alot of Black swan goslings. Penguins coming soon, don't know the species. American coots in Multinational aviary. Other updates I forgot (species list has radically changed). The Nene yard is empty, though a few are in the North American aviary. Today's incubator bird: 3 Cape teals
