Should zoo foods be chopped: macaws for consideration
Globally, many zoological collections provide their animals with diets that are chopped into small chunks, yet there is limited empirical research to measure the benefits of this practice. Preparing chopped diets takes considerable amounts of zookeeper time, and may affect both the nutritional quality and desiccation of the food. While keepers have suggested that chopped […]
Effects of Fluorescent Lighting Versus Sunlight Exposure on Calcium, Magnesium, Vitamin D, and Feather Destructive Behavior in Hispaniolan Amazon Parrots (Amazona ventralis)
Low exposure to ultraviolet light, and resulting vitamin D deficiency, has recently been linked to autism spectrum disorder in people. Captive psittacine birds that exhibit feather destructive behavior share similarities with people affected by autism spectrum disorder, such as repetitive (stereotypies) and self-harming behaviors. The metabolic and psychological effects of housing pet parrots indoors without […]
Ultraviolet colour perception in European starlings and Japanese quail
Whereas humans have three types of cone photoreceptor, birds have four types of single cones and, unlike humans, are sensitive to ultraviolet light (UV, 320-400 nm). Most birds are thought to have either a violet-sensitive single cone that has some sensitivity to UV wavelengths (for example, many non-passerine species) or a single cone that has […]
Sociable schedules: interplay between avian seasonal and social behaviour
Timing is essential in seasonally changing habitats. Survival and reproduction are enhanced through precise adjustment to environmental conditions. Avian seasonal behaviour, that is, diverse activities associated with reproduction, moult and migration, has an endogenous basis and is ultimately linked to changes in environmental factors such as food supply. However, behaviour occurs in social contexts, and […]
Intake and digestion of horned guan Oreophasis derbianus diets measured in three Mexican zoos
Abstract 10.1002/zoo.20237.abs We conducted nutritional analyses of diets offered to and ingested by seven pairs of horned guans (Oreophasis derbianus) in three zoos. Digestibility was calculated with individually housed birds (n=1 at each zoo). Diets offered varied widely among institutions, both in ingredients fed as well as in nutrient composition. Feeding selectivity was evident through […]
Effect of dilution degree of commercial nectar and provision of fruit on food, energy and nutrient intake in two rainbow lorikeet subspecies
Abstract 10.1002/zoo.20240.abs A feeding trial was performed on adult rainbow lorikeets of two subspecies: six green-naped lorikeets (Trichoglossus haematodus haematodus) and six red-breasted lorikeets (T. haematodus mitchellii). Throughout the entire trial, half of the birds from each subspecies had ad libitum access to water-diluted commercial nectar powder and drinking water only, whereas the other half […]
Phenology of body mass changes during reproduction in a nomadic, tropical waterbird, the Scarlet Ibis (Eudocimus ruber)
Abstract 10.1002/zoo.20198.abs In birds, the prereproductive buildup of endogenous energy reserves (e.g. body fat) is highly variable and is often thought to be a strategy evolving in response to either seasonal and/or unpredictable changes in breeding conditions. Nomadic behavior is also thought to be an adaptation to unpredictable resource distribution in both space and time. […]
The effects of rearing method on social behaviors of mentored, captive-reared juvenile California condors
Abstract 10.1002/zoo.20151.abs Puppet-reared and parent-reared captive-bred California condor (Gymnogyps californianus) juveniles were studied before their release into the wild. Behavioral data were collected during social interactions within two cohorts of juveniles (N = 11) and their adult mentors (N = 5). The purposes of this study were to (1) document the social behaviors of mentored […]
Artificial insemination in captive whooping cranes: Results from genetic analyses
Abstract 10.1002/zoo.1032.abs Artificial insemination has been used frequently in the captive whooping crane (Grus americana) population. In the 1980s, it was necessary at times to inseminate females with semen from several males during the breeding season or with semen from multiple males simultaneously due to unknown sperm viability of the breeding males. The goals of […]
Cryopreservation of houbara semen: A pilot study
Abstract 10.1002/(SICI)1098-2361(1999)18:23.3.CO;2-Z The potential of producing viable houbara bustard Chlamydotis undulata undulata progeny with cryopreserved semen was investigated during the 1998 breeding season. Houbara semen was diluted and rapidly frozen into pellet form in LN2 using dimethylacetamide (DMA) as a cryoprotectant. Thawed semen exhibited 24.86± 10.61% recovery of fresh sperm motility levels and 36.44±16.17% of […]