African Pygmy Goose (Nettapus auritus)

Judith Wolfe     Male African Pygmy Goose

Zoo collection includes: Two, a male and a female. CPZ has had successful breeding recently with this endangered pair.

Found in the wild: These aquatic birds are actually ducks, not geese. They primarily live in the swamps, marshes, and ponds of tropical Africa and the island of Madagascar.

See Them at the Central Park Zoo: They live in the Tropical Rain Forest. You will find these geese in the stream when you first enter the Tropic building, just inside the door. Look down.

Description: Length: Up to 11-12 inches. Weight: Male 285g, Female 260g. As tends to be the case with birds, the male is larger than the female and is more colorful. He has green ear patches and metallic green on his back. His head is a colorful turquoise and white. The female is much darker- usually a brown or gray.

What do they eat: They feed on aquatic plants and aquatic insects and their larvae. At the CPZ, these birds are fed avian pellets, seeds, and vitamin E.

Life span: 10-15 years in captivity.

Threats: Thought to be relatively common in the 1970s, this bird is now abundant only in isolated patches. Due to habitat destruction, this species is on the decline and may soon become extinct.

Fun Facts: Both male and female ducks have claws on their feet, which is useful since they perch and make their nests in trees. They are sexually mature at two years. They can have 6 to 12 offspring.



Bali Mynah (Leucopsar rothschildi)

Judith Wolfe                    Bali Mynah

Zoo collection includes: A pair (male and female).

Found in the wild: Bali. In fact, the only bird native to Bali.

See Them at the Central Park Zoo: They live in the Tropical Rain Forest

Description: They are about nine inches long. They are almost entirely white except for the black tips on the wings and the blue mask-like coloring over their eyes. The feet and legs are a blue-gray as is the beak. The pairs stay together in the Zoo.

What do they eat: Insects and fruits.

Life span: Unknown in wild, up to 25 years in zoos

Threats: These birds are critically endangered- there are only about 14 left in the wild today. Major threats to the Bali mynahs are the pet trade, lumbering, and poaching.

Fun Facts: Scientists discovered the Bali mynah, or Bali starling, in1912. Its species name comes from Lord Rothschild, a British ornithologist who financed the collecting of this species. The Bali mynah is an important national symbol and has been adopted as the island of Bali's official bird. Also called the Bali starling, is found in one small region of Bali, an island that is smaller than the size of Rhode Island.



Blue-gray Tanager (Thraupis episcopus)

Judith Wolfe         Blue-Gray Tanager

Zoo collection includes: Two

Found in the wild: Lives in semiopen habitats from southern Mexico to central South America.

See Them at the Central Park Zoo: They live in the Tropical Rain Forest

Description: The blue-gray tanager is a small bird, weighing between 30 - 40 grams and measuring six inches, including its two-inch-long tail. The head, throat and under parts are a pale gray with a greenish-blue tinge. The tail and wings are a bright blue and its back is a darker blue. While both sexes are similar in appearance, the color of the female is generally duller and grayer than that of the male.

What do they eat: Insects and fruit

Threats: Adult blue-gray tanagers are preyed upon by felines, snakes, birds of prey and crocodilians. Other predators, such as raccoons, eat young birds and eggs. Habitat destruction due to deforestation is the primary threat to this species.

Fun Facts: There are over two hundred species of colorful tanagers found from Canada all the way to central Argentina. It spends much of its time on the ground searching for small fruits and insects.