Parrots
Fischer's Lovebird (Agapornis fischeri)
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Zoo collection includes: Five
Found in the wild: Inland plateaus of Northern Tanzania in Eastern Africa. They inhabit isolated shrubs and clumps of trees surrounded by grassy plains. They were originally discovered in the late 1800's
See Them at the Central Park Zoo: Upstairs in the close-up gallery in the tropical rain forest.
Description: About six inches in length. Adults: green body, bright orange-red forehead; cheeks and throat pale orange, yellow-green breast, violet blue rump, green tail feathers tipped in blue, white ring around eye, bright red beak, gray feet.
What do they eat: Fischer's Lovebirds eat a wide variety of foods, including seeds and fruit.
Life span: 10-15 years
Threats: Not threatened
Fun Facts: A noisy bird with a shrill whistle and/or high-pitched twitter. In the wild they are seen in small flocks, and occasionally larger flocks when feeding in ripening crop fields. A lovebird is a very social bird with it's companion, and it is generally thought to be essential for their good health and happiness that they be kept in pairs rather than singly. They can, however, be aggressive towards other birds in an aviary setting.
Golden Conure (Guaruba guarouba)
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Zoo collection includes: A pair
Found in the wild: This species lives in the Maranhao and Para regions of Brazil, where they are nomadic. The Golden Conure prefers upland areas of dry rainforest that protect them from floods. In addition, they avoid deforested areas except while breeding when they wander in the open to nest in trees.
See Them at the Central Park Zoo: In the tropical rain forest. They like to hang around above the beach.
Description: The Golden Conure may grow up to 14 inches. Their feathers are yellow except the flight feathers, which are green. There is a whitish ring around the eye. Their beaks are large.
What do they eat: Golden Conures feed on exotic fruits, flower, buds, and cultured maize.
Life span: 20 or more years
Threats: The Golden Conure has been determined to be endangered, due to increased deforestation and now illegal cage bird trade.
Fun Facts: The Golden Conures are sociable. They are family oriented birds that will care for unrelated young. These birds are inquisitive and playful in captivity but may pluck and eat feathers from each other. Conures have a tendency to spend long periods of time in their nest, even when not breeding. They are playful birds and are said to be clown-like.
White-fronted Amazon (Amazona albifrons)
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Zoo collection includes: A pair
Found in the wild: The White-fronted Amazon is native to Central America and Mexico and is most often seen in small flocks of up to 20 birds.
See Them at the Central Park Zoo: In the tropical rain forest.
Description: About 10 inches long. This species is named for the bright white patch of feathers which is seen on their foreheads, although the amount of white varies from individual to individual. They have green plumage throughout, red coloring around their eyes (in some individuals almost like a mask) and blue coloring on their outspread wings and behind the patch of white on their foreheads. The beak is light yellow and their feeet are light grey / brown-gray. Unlike other amazon species, males and females can be distinguished by appearance (sexual dimorphism): males have bright red feathers on their shoulders (alula), while females have green shoulders.
What do they eat: Fruit and seeds
Life span: About 40 years
Threats: Not threatened
Fun Facts: Like most other amazon parrots, the White-fronted Amazon are noisy. Even though talking is not one of their strong points, some individual birds have developed impressive vocabularies.
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