Abstract
The Melbourne Zoo is one of only four major zoos in Australia. It is also one of the largest, covering 52 acres, and is situated in the middle of a large innercity parkland, and only five minutes by car from the center of Melbourne.
Animals from Australia and all over the world are displayed in landscaped enclosures. Some exhibits are located in Bio-Climatic zones which is the beginning of the zoo's rnasterplan. This plan will see the zoo divided into Bio-Climatic Zones, including Asian and African Rainforests and Australian Eucalypt Woodland. Each zone will have species of animals on display that are indigenous to the specific habitat.
The Bird Department has over 141 species represented by over 900 individual birds from Australia and around the world. Most are on display in a range of landscaped aviaries and open roofed exhibits, while a small number of birds are in the extensive off-limit quarantine and hospital complex.
The bird displays are located around the zoo grounds and include aviaries, lakes, and ponds which are landscaped and planted to represent particular habitats, including Rainforest and Woodland.
I would now like to take you on a tour of the bird displays at the Melbourne Zoo and show you our displays and collection.
African Rainforest
Our first stop is the African Rainforest where we climb a wooden boardwalk to the Arboreal Primate Complex. The two aviaries are glass fronted at tree-top height and are planted as Rainforest Aviaries. The exhibit brings us face to face with a pair of African Grey Parrots Psittacus erithacus who might be mimicking the high pitched call of the White-cheeked Gibbons next door. The next aviary is at the other end of the boardwalk and this has a group of Fischer's Lovebirds Agapornis fiscberi.
The Asian Rice Field Aviary We continue through the African Rainforest and enter the Asian Rainforest where we come to the first of the Zoo's newest aviaries "The Asian Rice Field Aviary." Entry is via an entrance foyer which removes reflections from the floor to ceiling glass across the front of the aviary. This allows clear viewing of the aviary without the distraction of wire-mesh. TI1e theme of this aviary is how many birds adapt and can actually benefit from man-made changes to their environment. The main feature is a threetiered rice paddy field surrounded by rainforest. The design represents an area of Asian Rainforest, which has been modified by humans but is still a home for birds.
Black-winged Stilts Himantopus himantopus and Sacred Kingfishers Todirarnpbus sanctus are two species that use the rice field both in the aviary and in the wild.
The other species include the Dusky Lory Pseudeos fuscata and the Emerald Dove Cbalcopbaps indica, these birds use the rainforest. Rice is grown and harvested each year in the aviary by the keepers and horticultural staff.
Asian Rainforest Aviary
The next aviary is the Asian Rainforest Aviary, which is of the same design as the previous one - it is planted and landscaped to represent a small clearing surrounded by foliage. A small number of birds are housed in this aviary so as to avoid damage to the foliage. The birds include the Plumheaded Parakeet Psittacula cyanocepba-
la, Blue-faced Parrot Finch Erytbtura tricbroa, and Siamese Fireback Pheasant Lopbura diardi. The two Asian Rainforest aviaries are designed for easy viewing. Because 01e roof angles upwards towards the rear of the aviary it gives no real indication of the .depth, the foliage is thick and so most of the frame is hidden which further improves the illusion that you are actually in the birds' habitat.
Leaving the Asian Rainforest we walk past the Kangaroo Exhibits. We are now at the beginning of a bank of aviaries with a large range of Australian parrots, passerines (softbills) and pigeons. When built in the 1960s the complex consisted of 52 individual aviaries specifically for parrot breeding with one pair of birds in each. A few years ago the complex was re-developed by the removal of several dividing walls to increase the aviaries sizes and reduce the total number of aviaries to 15. Landscaping and planting was completed to create displays representing different areas of the Australian wilderness including grassland, coastal, woodland, and rainforest.
The birds displayed feature parrot species including Scarlet-chested Parrot Neopbema splendida, Bourke's Parrot Neopsepbotus boureii, Cloncurry Parrot Barnardius zonarius macgilliurayi; Princess Parrot Polytelis alexandrae, Golden-shouldered Parrot Psepbotus
cbrysopterygius, and Purple-Crowned Lorikeet Glossopsitta porpbyrocepbala:
Rainforest birds include Regent Bowerbird Sericulus chrysocephalus and Rose-crowned Fruit Dove Ptilinopus regina. Passerines (softbills or song birds) include Superb Fairy-wren Malurus cyaneus and White-browed Woodswallow Artamus superciliosus.