Institution: Disney’s
Animal Kingdom
Contact person: Lyn Heller and Susan Congdon
Phone number: (407) 938-2684
Email address:
1. Please list sexes and species of bee-eaters currently held at your institution.
2.4 Merops n. nubicus
2. Note method and
company used to sex your birds.
Unsure. Received already sexed.
3. Describe how your birds are banded and discuss any band problems you have had.
Colored metal open leg bands are used. Due to the size of the exhibit we have difficulty seeing the bands.
4. Please describe your bee-eater diet, including use of beehives, other live food, coloring agents offered.
Large mealworms dusted with 2 parts betatene to 1 part each of Emeraid II and Necton S. The mealworms are tossed into the air 2-3 times daily and caught by the birds. Naturally occurring insects are also regularly eaten. We will be offering live bees as soon as spring arrives.
5. Please describe your bee-eater exhibits and holding spaces in detail – dimensions, inside or outside, water areas, species exhibited together, etc.
The birds are housed in a 120’x50’x40’ outside walk-through African aviary.
The aviary is well
planted with many large trees, shrubs, and flowering plants. There is a large 2-level waterfall in which
we often observe the bee-eaters bathing.
Other species housed
in the exhibit:
Olive pigeon-Columba arquatrix
African green pigeon- Treron australis
African pygmy geese- Nettapus auritus
Hottentot teal-Anas punctata
White backed ducks-Thalassornis leuconotus
Marbled teal-Marmaronetta angustirostris
White bellied go away bird- Corythaixoides leucogaster
Racquet tailed roller- Coracias spatulata
African grey parrots- Psittacus erithacus
Snowy headed robin chat- Cossypha niveicapilla
Magpie shrike- Corvinella melanoleuca
Hadada ibis- Hagedashia hagedash brevirostris
African jacana- Actophilornis africana
Black crake- Limnocorax flavirostra
Hammerkop- Scopus umbretta
Wattled starling- Creatophora cinerea
Golden breasted starling- Lamprotornis regius
Superb starling- Lamprotornis superbus
Emerald starling-Lamprotornis iris
Amethyst starling- Cinnyricinclus leucogaster
Brimstone canary- Serinus sulphuratus
Taveta weaver- Ploceus castaneiceps
White-headed buffalo weaver- Dinemellia dinemelli
Common bulbul- Pycnonotus barbatus
Bearded barbet- Lybius dubius
Madascar red fody- Foudia madagascariensis
African hoopoe- Upupa epops
White-collared kingfisher- Halcyon chloris
6. Describe any reproductive activity observed and time of year of occurrence.
7. Describe parent-rearing behaviors and procedures when young are present (incubation periods, diet offered, frequency of feeding by adults, fledging information), and/or artificial incubation and hand-rearing information.
8. Have you seen any aggressive behaviors in your birds and in what context? Any other interesting social behaviors observed?
Have observed displacement behavior, wing flashing, and individuals feeding or soliciting feeding from other birds.
9. Please discuss any acclimation and/or medical problems you have had with your birds.
No problems with current
birds. We are trying different ideas
to encourage them to eat from a pan and eat a wider variety of food.
10. Feel free to add anything else you consider pertinent to bee-eater husbandry.
Please return to Marcia
Arland at [email protected] or
FAX #: (718) 733-7300
Or mail to:
Department of Ornithology
WCS/Bronx Zoo
2300 Southern Blvd.
Bronx, NY 10460