Breeding Red-throated Gaudy Barbets

Abstract

On 21February1992, The Toledo Zoo received two wild caught pairs of Red-throated Gaudy Barbet, Megalaima mystacophanos, from Dr. Richard Miller, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. This mid-sized member of the Capitonidae is found as a low elevation forests resident in Sumatra, Borneo and Malaysia. The birds are sexually dimorphic. Their overall body coloring is green, which is typical of Megalaima species. The female has a green head with red lores and hindcrown with typically weak bluish patches on forecrown, cheeks and lower throat. Blue patches on the males cheeks and lower throat are much stronger in coloration and the males have a brightly colored yellow forehead and red throat patch.

This attractive species is a fairly common wild caught import, with over 100 individuals brought into the zoo community over the last 20 years. Similar numbers have also been purchased by private aviculturists. A few individuals we have spoken to have reported bonding and nesting activity with their pairs (Vockaty and Reininger, pers. comm.) but have not yet achieved chick production.

After quarantine, the two pairs of birds were moved to our off-exhibit breeding center on zoo grounds. Initially the birds were each housed individually.

That spring the pairs were to be moved into outdoor breeding cages. The cage dimensions are 8 ft 7 in l x 6 ft 6 in wx 7 ft h, consisting of an aluminum framework with 1 in x Y2 in wire. Enclosures have solid fiberglass walls on four sides blocking adjacent pens visually, and the door is convered with shade cloth to allow privacy. There are viewing windows cut into the shade over one half to provide shade cover and shelter over

nesting and feed areas. The birds can be fed from the outside through a feed slot located next to the door, approximately 4 ft off ground. Natural wood perching is available througout the enclosure. The substrate in the breeding cage is dirt, allowing grass to grow. A 10Y2 in diameter palm log, 6 ft 6 in in height was placed in a back corner. Perching was placed directly in contact with the log, and we "started" a hole in the log for the birds. Two heat lamps were set up and turned on when the temperature dropped below 55 degrees. The entire off-exhibit breeding area is surrounded by a wire keeper hallway to provide a double-door system to prevent escape.

On 16 May 1992, one pair was introduced to the breeding cage. The female from the other pair was placed in a larger nearby cage, which had a similar set-up. On 11 August 1992, we tried to introduce the second male to the lone female, but the attempt was not successful due to aggression from the male. The female was pulled indoors to holding, while the male was left in the outdoor cage.

On 16 August, the two males were heard vocalizing to each other. On the same day the male of the pair was observed displaying to his female. The display consisted of him dropping his head low to the perch, beak forward, while malting a low hooting one note call. The following day, the paired male was observed entering and exiting the nest log, and hammering could be heard while the male was in the log. The keepers started offering live food to the cage at all times (waxworms, mealworms, crickets and maggots). We continued to offer the birds a normal diet, which consisted of a "Gel diet" pre-mixed (made with Scenicbird foods), Bird of Paradise pellet, chopped apples, bananas, oranges and blueberries. The amount of chopped fruit was increased, and chopped pinkies dusted with a 50/50 vionate/osteoforrn were also added.

The female was observed in the nest log throughout the day on 21 August and by the 23rd both birds were taking turns in the nest log. During the first week in September, live food was disappearing rapidly and amounts offered were increased. We finally confirmed the presence of chicks in the log on 6 September, when chick vocalizations were heard for the first time. Chick vocalizing continued over the next two

weeks, and the male was observed carrying chopped fruit and insects into the nest log. On 24 September, two chicks were seen looking out of the nest log. They both fledged on the first of October, appearing very well developed and fully feathered. Sex of the juveniles could be determined as early as two days after fledging, as the male chick had a strong orange throat patch evident, which the female chick was lacking.

The breeding pair recycled quickly, and the male was observed going in and out of the log again and displaying to the female as early as the 5th of October. By the 9th, the female was spending a large part of her day in the log. The juveniles were still housed with the parents at this time, and were observed eating on their own from the food bowl on the 10th. They were separated from the adults on the 15th, and by the 17th the female was consistently in the log. The cage was completely enclosed with plastic on the 18th of October due to cold weather and additional heating was provided with one more heat lamp and a ceramic heater being installed in the cage. Chick vocalizations from the second clutch were heard on 3 November. During this period, the female became increasingly more aggressive towards the male. He was removed and taken to inside holding on 11 November. Two nestlings were observed peering from the nest log on the 30th, and fledged on the 2nd of December. On the 5th of December, the female was moved inside with the second pair of fledglings due to extremely cold weather. All birds were housed inside for the winter, with the male separate from the female and offspring.

For the 1993 breeding season, the breeding pail," was returned to the outside breeding cage on 8 July. Neither of the second pair of birds were housed outside, and numerous attempts to pair them have failed. Similar nesting and display behaviors were seen from the breeding pair this year, with chicks being heard in the nest log on the 10th of August. Again, the female became extremely aggressive to the male after the chicks had hatched. The male was found dead in the cage on the 20th, and post mortem results showed he had died as a result of trauma, probably killed by the female.