Visited yesterday and here are a few notes: The nene exhibit is being worked on. It seems like the zoo is building yet another walkthrough aviary where this exhibit once stood, in between the South America and North America aviaries. The white-naped crane exhibit will be inside this aviary. Wings of the Tropics is still covered with transluscent panels that allow the birds to stay within year round, yet during the warm months these do turn it into a sauna. Northern red bishop now in Wings of the Tropics. An unsigned tortoise (African spurred I believe) has been added to the mixed species exhibit adjacent to wings of the tropics. They are fundraising for the upcoming penguin exhibit still, but no news on when it'll be completed. Redheads were in the incubator today. One really interesting exhibit I haven't been seen mentioned on here is the exhibit on brood parasites. The zoo now has a flock of brown headed cowbirds in part of the finch exhibit, which serve as a research population for a local university.
The parks summer newsletter mentions a new exhibit being built for rhinoceros hornbill. Summer News from Sylvan Heights Bird Park
Updates: 1. Today's incubator bird: 2 Mallards 2. Unsigned Black-necked stilts and another bird I forgot in the Lesser flamingo exhibit. 3. Hummingbirds still in Tropic Wings 4. No news on Penguins 5. Plum-headed parakeets appear to have replaced Hooded parrots 6. Unsigned Zebra finch in aviary across from Australia exhibit 7. Unsigned Crested quail dove in Tropic Wings. 8. Red-legged seriemas now in former Nene exhibit. 9. New animals in Tropic Wings: Tri-colored heron and a bird that looks like a Royal tern.
New for 2020 will be a crane complex, housing Sarus Crane & Whooping Crane, with the potential for more species of crane. Sarus Crane will be a new species for the park.
No update on the penguins. They will cost much more than the crane exhibit so I imagine its a longer term project. Also penguins are likely an addition for the visitors more than anything, while the cranes fit closely into their mission.
On my first visit in 2017 their was only 1. Now their are 2 on exhibit and potentially more behind the scenes.
Pandemonium Aviaries in California is closing and sending all of their birds to Sylvan Heights. It's possible they are already there, though i don't think so. The birds are Crested dove Namaqua dove Crested quail-dove Ring-necked dove Sulawesi ground dove Blue-and-gold macaw Green-cheeked amazon Violet turaco African grey parrot Barnard's parakeet Scarlet-chested parrot Turquoise parrot Bourke's parrot Indian ring-necked parakeet Derbyan parakeet Plum-headed parakeet Rainbow lorikeet Regent parrot Eastern rosella Grey-crowned crane Gouldian finch Guinea turaco I think others.
Visited a few days ago 1. 3 Chickens in the incubator 2. White-winged wood duck aviary closed for renovations 3. Hummingbirds still in Tropic Wings 4.Victoria crowned-pigeons with Plush-crested jays in Tropic Wings, as well as a Fawn-breasted bowerbird in the pheasant-pigeon aviary 5. Hooded parrots in the main part of Tropic Wings now. 6. Births: 4 Black swans and a Common gallinule.
Sylvan Heights is currently closed due to COVID-19. But in better news, the Pandemonium Aviaries in California will be relocating all of its collection to Sylvan Heights. Information on the collection at Pandemonium Aviaries can be found here. Species mentioned include plum-headed parakeet, Nicobar pigeon, and green-naped pheasant pigeon, although I imagine a lot more species will be included. To house these birds the zoo will be constructing both an avian breeding center and a walkthrough aviary complex. The aviary complex will be centered around birds of New Guinea and the South Pacific. The plan for the walkthrough aviary complex can be seen below. Before COVID-19 the park hoped to have this open by Summer, but we will have to see what the timeline is now. Sylvan Heights to Build New Aviary
Pandemonium Aviaries website mentions the following species: Blue Crowned pigeon Victoria Crowned Pigeon Barlett's Bleeding Heart Dove Luzon Bleeding Heart Dove Green-Naped Pheasant Pigeon (largest captive collection of the species) Nicobar Pigeon Plum-Headed Parakeet Blue and Gold Macaw Red-Headed Amazon Violet Turaco African Grey Parrot Australian Crested Dove Cape Dove Mountain Witch Dove Ringneck Dove Sulawesi Ground-Dove Barnard's Parakeet Indian Ringneck Parakeet Moustache Parakeet Rainbow Lorikeet Rock Pebbler Rosella Parrot Rosy Bourke Parrot Scarlet Chested Grass Parakeet Turquoise Parrakeet East-African Crowned Crane Gouldian Finch Guinea Turaco
Visited today (first zoo in 4 months) and have plenty of updates: The park recently reopened with new restrictions and procedures due to covid. Admission was limited to a certain amount of people, although that did not seem to be an issue. Cheap face masks were for sale at the front and wearing facemasks was strongly encouraged. Hand sanitizing stations were added and certain walkthrough aviary doors were outfitted with larger handles, that are meant to be used by your elbow, instead of your hand. The main building was closed. The Australia and African walkthroughs were closed as well, although most species were still in them. A small cafe stand has opened at the park, which previously had only sold snacks in the gift shop. Construction has begun on the South Pacific aviary complex. It's going to be much larger than Wings of the Tropics. Several exhibits have been removed to create this complex, including sun conure, wreathed hornbill, von der decken's hornbill (moved to Himalayan monal exhibit), and king vulture. Thankfully these were, in my opinion, the worst exhibits remaining in the park. A large new aviary has been built across from the lesser flamingos for Abdim's stork and grey-crowned crane. Previously mentioned new exhibits for penguins and cranes have seen no movement. The hornbill exhibit has begun construction, yet has seen little change since my last visit in November (I imagine focus is on the Pandamonium Aviary birds right now). In Wings of the Tropics the toco toucan have been given the exhibit originally designed for the seriema. Blue-bellied rollers are now in the old toucan exhibit. Ruff were in full breeding plumage, which was very entertaining to watch. A second African Fish Eagle was on exhibit as well, if I remembering correctly they used to have just a single eagle. The Emu has been mixed with the Spur-Winged Goose. Don't know if this was ever mentioned but Black-Throated Magpie Jay are in the exhibit with cotton pygmy goose. They have been there since last year. I am not sure how many collections have them, but this is my first time seeing them. Lastly, I have visited many times but today I just realized how many of the birds are free-flighted. I applaud Sylvan Heights for covering most of there exhibits so that the waterfowl can remain free-flighted.
