Part 2 in a series about the Bird Breeding Complex (BBC) at the Wild Animal Park.
Read Part 1, BBC: Shoebill Stork Introduction.

Exciting things are happening in the second enclosure of the BBC, called BBC B. We have two parent-raised fledglings: Micronesian kingfishers Todiramphus cinnamomina and superb birds of paradise Lophorina superba. This is the first successful breeding for this pair of superb birds of paradise and the female is being very attentive to her chick. The chick is a male; he hatched on May 2 and fledged on May 22, 2007. The sire, adorned with an iridescent blue breast shield and black cape, is in an adjacent enclosure. They are separated because most birds of paradise are polygamous and males take no part in nest building or raising chicks.

In contrast, Micronesian kingfisher parents both share nest building, egg incubation, and chick-rearing duties. Our newest pair of Micronesian kingfishers is currently raising a chick that hatched April 18 and fledged May 22. Micronesian kingfishers are highly endangered; they are extinct in the wild and only survive in zoos and captive breeding programs. It is necessary to manage the species carefully. In this case, we left the first egg in the nest and pulled the second for artificial incubation, replacing it with a dummy egg. We pulled the dummy egg when the first chick hatched in the nest; when the second chick hatched in an incubator, it was transported to the Avian Propagation Center (APC) at the Zoo for puppet-rearing.

By separating the two eggs in a clutch, we try to improve the chance of survival for both chicks: giving the parents experience raising a chick, while the other chick is safely in a brooder at the APC. In fact, even when the parents are raising nestlings, we ensure the chick’s survival by checking it daily in the nest log and feeding it nutritious items that the parents don’t like to feed to the chick.

Joy DiGenti is an administrative assistant in the Wild Animal Park’s Bird Department. She is currently on loan as a keeper.

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