Why Do Birds Suddenly (Dis)appear?

Late last year, I took a visit to Colorado, during which I paid my first visit to the excellent Denver Zoo.  There were a lot of things that I really enjoyed about Denver, from the beautiful Predator Ridge to my first ever view of a Lake Titicaca frog, but there was one feature that I enjoyed the most.

They have a bird house.  And they will continue to have one… for the next few weeks.

Denver Zoo To Close Bird World Exhibit In October

It was just announced that Denver will be shuttering its Bird World this fall, after which it will be demolished to make room for new exhibit spaces.  While some of the species, such as the African penguins, will be retained, most of the 200 birds will be sent to other facilities. 

When I read that, my first reaction was… where, exactly?

The truth is, there are not that many bird houses left anymore.   The few that I’ve seen in recent years, such as those at Riverbanks Zoo, Cincinnati Zoo, and the BronxZoo, are absolute gems.  Many zoos have greatly scaled back (feathered back?) there bird collections.  Penguins, flamingos, and ratites (ostriches and their kin) are still well-represented, but many other bird species, including some very endangered species, are in decline in zoo collections, and the worrying trend is largely attributable to a lack of spaces.

Many zoos still have aviaries, especially walk-throughaviaries, but those aren’t always the answer to species sustainability.   First of all, not all species do well in those aviaries, either for reasons of aggression, shyness, competition for food and other resources, or just plain difficulty in management.  Some species may live long healthy lives in these aviaries, but not be able to breed successfully.  Perhaps the adults will do fine, but chicks or eggs will be vulnerable to predation from other birds in the exhibit (I’m looking at you, motmot) or birds might be compatible for most of the year, but aggressive and territorial in breeding mode.  Rarity can also be a factor – as few Guam rails as there are, for example, it just wouldn’t be worth it to risk one in an aviary where one could be accidentally injured or allowed to escape by a visitor.

Bird houses also provide a degree of flexibility – with several habitats, each well suited for birds, it’s easier to shuffle birds around in response to changing circumstances, such as separations and introductions.

I understand where Denver is coming from.  At 45 years old, their building is old and the effort and expense needed to repair it could have been prohibitive.   Still, I regret that it came to this, as I know all of the bird keepers at Denver must as well (though if I am reading the articles correctly, they will be keeping their off-exhibit breeding facility).  Hopefully the future of Denver Zoo will include a renewed commitment to birds.  Many of my best zoo memories have been the result of a diverse world of birds, from flightless giants to tiny, flitting jewels.  I would hope all of them would have a future in our zoos.

For that to happen, they need a place to call home.