Toledo Zoo Birds

After Breakfast With the Hippos, the missing gardener and I visited other parts of the zoo, including, of course, the aviary.

black-naped fruit dove (f)

black-naped fruit dove (m)

sunbittern

The back of a Siamese fireback. I have several nice pictures of the whole bird when it's farther back in the enclosure, meaning the mesh doesn't show. Every shot of the feathers that give the bird its name looks like this, with the mesh intruding.

red-whiskered bulbul

diamond firetail chicks

diamond firetail

This emerald starling kept trying to swallow a berry. The out-of-focus video below shows the action.

Sexual Dimorphism

Some bird species are sexually dimorphic, where males and females look different. Male and female blue jays look the same and are not sexually dimorphic. Male northern cardinals are more brightly colored than females and are.

male violet-backed starling (Toledo Zoo)

female violet-backed starling (Toledo Zoo) The Cleveland MetroParks Zoo is too hard on her.

 

female (left) and male Siamese firebacks (Toledo Zoo)

male Bornean crested fireback (Toledo Zoo)

female Bornean crested fireback (Toledo Zoo)

female Andean cock-of-the rock (Toledo Zoo)

male Andean cock-of-the-rock (Toledo Zoo)

Toledo

It's hockey season, and that means Toledo Zoo visits. These shots are from October 23 and November 6.

I was happy to see Marty in October, but I report with sadness that he was euthanized in November because of kidney disease. He was pretty important when it comes to polar bears in American zoos.

Nieve, an aged Andean or spectacled bear. The missing gardener and I call her Penny because she reminds us of Penny, the gardener's mother's dog.

coconut crab

Patagonian cavy, or mara. It gave me some side-eye as I moved around looking for the best view.

Emma, I think. Or Herbie.

 

red-billed leiothrix

male Siamese fireback

female Siamese fireback