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Birds
Bananaquit (Coereba flaveola)
Where found: These songbirds live in the mangroves and woodlands of the Caribbean Islands and South America. They have even ventured as far north as Florida, in the southern United States. A gentleman recently visited the Central Park Zoo from Guyana and informed me these birds are locally referred to as “prayer birds”. It seems they are in the gardens feeding on the hibiscus when women are there praying early in the mornings.
Diet: Their slender, curved bills allow easy access to flower nectar and the small insects they find within that nectar. They are also fond of berries and other fruits.
Length: Up to 4 inches.
Weight: 9-12 grams.
Description: In both males and females, the upperparts are black with a distinctive white-eye stripe. The breast and rump are yellow and there is a small red mark on the base of the slender bill.
Chestnut-mandibled bi-color toucan (Ramphastos swainsonii)
Where found : High in the trees of tropical Central America and northern South America. If you want a close look, don’t worry. These two birds are easy to spot- their exhibit is located just outside the entrance to the CPZ Tropic building. They will almost always be in the trees as these birds are highly arboreal.
Diet: Fruits and berries. The long beaks allow the toucans to reach for their food without traveling too far out onto a branch.
Length: Up to 20-24 inches.
Weight: 1-1.5 pounds.
Life span: Approximately 20 years.
Description: Their incredibly colored beaks may be up to half these birds’ body lengths. Surprisingly, it weighs only a few ounces because it is made of keratin, like human fingernails and hair. Inside is a crisscrossed honeycomb-like structure. Males are slightly larger than females but have the same black bodies and large colorful beaks.
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