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West African birds enrich the aviary at the bird house
glossy starlings has moved in from Copenhagen Zoo . The birds, originally from West Africa, now share an aviary at the aviary with Von der Decken's hornbills and Kirk's dik-diks.
Iridescent starlings are closely related to the native starling. Like the latter, they have dark plumage, nest in caves, prefer open areas with sparse tree cover, and form flocks after the breeding season. There are differences in clutch size: While native starlings can lay up to seven eggs, the Iridescent starling lays three to four.
Although the species is not considered endangered, 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 facilities closed specialized bird sanctuaries and were left with no choice but to keep the animals.
The vivarium emphasizes that without active breeding, biodiversity loss in zoos would continue to increase. The goal is to continue to show visitors the diversity of small bird species. Given the ongoing extinction of species in Africa, the Iridescent Starling could potentially become an endangered species itself in the future.
(Darmstadt - Red/PSD/DK)
Featured image: Iridescent Starling / Source: Science City of Darmstadt – Reinhard Mink, Zoo Vivarium
