The rabidly growing, mid sized California zoo pinned against the magical kingdom itself, the most visited AZA institution on the continent. Our first non mammal category, birds, will be this matches topic of discussion. You can vote on anything with birds, from the massive savannahs at either facilities or any other aviaries around the grounds. The concept behind this poll is explained here: ZooChat Cup Season 2 Tomorrow: Omaha (2) vs Toledo
I'll give an overview of what I've found so far: Fresno Chaffee Zoo has a South American aviary and an Australian aviary; I'm not sure exactly what birds are in their collection, but I know that the Australian aviary had multiple species of parrots and Victorian crowned pigeons recently. Other birds include flamingos, pelicans in the award-winning Sea Lion Cove exhibit, rhinoceros hornbill, Guam rail, and at least one not-so-common species, the bateleur eagle. There is also an unknown number of birds in the African complex. For conservation efforts, FCZ contributes to the Hornbill Nest Adoption Program. Disney's Animal Kingdom has a sizable collection of African birds, and an aviary with over 50 species of Asian birds. Notable species include African jacana, northern carmine bee-eater (I remember reading that DAK was having good breeding success with them), go-away-bird, African hoopoe (really??), great blue turaco, pitta, crowned pigeon, Madagascar crested ibis, painted stork, blue-crowned laughingthrush, Guam kingfisher, hornbills, and crested coua. For conservation, the Disney Conservation Fund has contributed to programs for Siberian cranes, anti-poisoning efforts for vultures in Asia and Kenya, and (apparently) other programs for African birds. Additionally, one-third of Disney's land is set aside for wildlife, and is a major destination for migratory birds. I'm putting my vote with Disney for now.
My understand is that, along with everything else @Coelacanth18 said, DAK also has a number of species that are either held very rarely, or only held by them so that is where my vote will be going for now. I'm open to switching my vote if someone can provide more information on Fresno, though. ~Thylo
I went to Disney as a little kid, never been to Fresno. However, I remember the Asian free-flight aviary very well, and it was very nice. I also rember the excellent savannas at DAKL, and seeing an Ostrich there, plus the excellent Kilimanjaro Safaris and the large birds found there. (Does DAKL count?) I also remember getting several lifers while I was there (I was already counting birds even then), and the habitats was great. For these reasons, along with DAK's bird conservation efforts, my vote goes to Disney.
As I haven't been to DAK I am a bit biased but from what I see, DAK has extremely good exhibits including one of the best African elephant exhibits in the country. But the path DAK is going to seems to be less animal and more ride with the opening of Pandora. Fresno on the other hand was a zoo that got a major overall and after visiting it, looks like a world class zoo. The sea lion exhibit is superb and the African exhibit makes you feel like you are in Africa. To me, what gives Fresno my vote is how they are always improving for the animals and with another exhibit on the works, they strive for amazing animal experiences. Although DAK works extremely hard I can't have an opinion to a place where I have never been to but from what I hear from other zoochatters, DAK is no laughing matter. But my vote mainly goes to Fresno due to the new exhibits and their amazing quality.
Yeah, that defeats the purpose of the competition and that violates the whole "The one thing you can't do is vote based on anything other than the category chosen," which in this case is birds. Please follow the rules if you intend on continuing to vote in this competition.
