Zoo InternQuest is a career exploration program for high school students. For more information see the Zoo InternQuest Journals. For more photos see the Zoo InternQuest Photo Journal.

Birds of a feather flock together – for the most part anyway. When Bird Keeper Josh Zelt gave us the scoop on the bird collection at the San Diego Zoo, we were all amazed. Flamingoes, eagles, hummingbirds; he works with them all. And any job that lets you work so closely with our feathered friends is definitely worth it.

Mr. Zelt met us at the flamingo exhibit and told us all about these flamboyant birds. As we learned about flamingoes, Mr. Zelt fed the ducks in the exhibit and we saw what can only be described as a feeding frenzy – ducks from all over ran, or rather waddled, over to the food and ate as much as they could. Many of the ducks were part of the Zoo’s collection, but the rest were native mallard ducks. These freeloading mallards are the reason why the ducks are fed twice every day. By feeding the birds twice every day, the birds in the collection have a better chance at getting food, as the competition from the “wild birds” can be, well, wild.

Despite the duck-induced distraction, I did learn some interesting things about the flamingoes (pictured). There are around seven “kid” flamingoes in the lagoon right now, and you can tell them apart because they are grey-brown and a little smaller than the rest of the flamingoes. These youngsters turn pink as they get older, due to their special food. The flamingoes are fed specially formulated flamingo pellets that contain the ingredient that gives them their pink coloring. That’s why it’s interesting that the paler flamingoes aren’t last year’s babies; they’re the parents of this year’s. I guess having kids literally drains these avian parents of their coloring.

Another winged wonder we went to see is the harpy eagle. These colossal birds of prey are the biggest birds in the new world, but unfortunately are endangered. Luckily for harpies around the world, the pair at the zoo has been successful in breeding. Part of their success is due to how the Zoo tries to recreate natural conditions for the birds. Birds of prey are fed four days a week to simulate how often they would eat in the wild. The food is also carefully selected to replicate conditions in the wild.

When being a bird keeper means getting to work with birds as amazing as these, it’s hard to believe people aren’t lining up the street to get a job like this! It’s easy to love our feathered friends, especially since birds act as a kind of pest control – eating everything from mosquitoes to rats to pigeons. Who wouldn’t want a natural way to get rid of annoying pests? Plus, the more species of birds there are, the greater biodiversity is, and that’s good for everyone. Biodiversity has a direct effect on the environment and all of the life in it – you included.

Madolyn, Real World Team

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