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West African birds enrich the aviary at the birdhouse
glossy starlings has arrived from Copenhagen Zoo . The birds, originally from West Africa, now share an aviary at the bird house with Von der Decken's hornbills and Kirk's dik-diks.
Glossy starlings are closely related to the common starling. Like the latter, they have dark plumage, nest in cavities, prefer open terrain with scattered trees, and gather in flocks after the breeding season. Differences lie in clutch size: while common starlings can lay up to seven eggs, glossy starlings lay three to four.
Although the species is not considered threatened, the vivarium is considering breeding it. Over the past two decades, the breeding of small birds like the glossy starling has declined sharply in European zoos. Many institutions dissolved specialized bird enclosures and were only able to keep the animals.
The vivarium emphasizes that without active breeding programs, the loss of biodiversity in zoos would continue to increase. The goal is to continue showcasing the diversity of small bird species to visitors. Given the ongoing extinction of species in Africa, the glossy starling itself could potentially become an endangered species in the future.
(Darmstadt - Red/PSD/DK)
Featured image: Schiller's starling / Source: City of Science Darmstadt – Reinhard Mink, Zoo Vivarium
