Golden White-eye

At the Toledo Zoo, a golden white-eye ...

... lives with a Palawan peacock pheasant ...

Photos are better when he's not up front, by the mesh. Sometimes he has a lady friend.

 ... and a many-colored fruit dove.

Male many-colored fruit dove

Last October (2024), a keeper was working in the enclosure, and I asked a few questions. I jokingly asked if he could bring the white-eye forward so I could get a good picture. He said, yeah, she's often hidden in the foliage, but she comes closer to the front when the mister is on. The next thing I knew, the water was on and the keeper was standing next to me.

Enjoying the mist

Some preening

In March of this year, I found this:

Rhinoceros Hornbill

I've seen rhinoceros hornbills at three zoos.

Kirana at the Toledo Zoo in 2018. Females have white eyes.

 

Andaru at the Toledo Zoo in 2019. Males have red eyes.

Cincinnati Zoo in 2021

A juvenile at the Minnesota Zoo in 2024

Kirana and Andaru have lived at the Toledo Zoo since 2008. They seem to be compatible, but there have been no chicks.

In January, 2025, the missing gardener and I attended a rhinoceros hornbill keeper talk. The keeper was inside the enclosure, tossing grapes to the birds, and he said the hornbills have excellent beak-eye coordination. He also explained that their upper and lower mandibles meet only at the tips of their beaks, so they catch the grapes at the tips and toss them into their mouths. I don't have shots of that, but I did catch a silvery-cheeked hornbill's toss in 2023.

Here, Kirana and Andaru share a tender moment and a grape:

Splash and Go

House sparrows bathe in the backyard water dish.

"Island" Birds

Here are birds from my 2024 visits to the Columbus Zoo's Australia and the Islands aviary.

Red-billed leiothrix. This bird is something of an obsession because of its nifty wing feathers.

Bali myna

metallic starling

chestnut teal

Luzon bleeding heart dove

Nicobar pigeon

straw-necked ibis

Nicobar pigeon. I couldn't decide which shot I liked more, so I included both.

Victoria crowned pigeon

scarlet-faced liocichla

2023 Part 1: Birds

Here are some 2023 bird shots I haven't previously posted.

red-legged seriema (Columbus Zoo). It was squawking.

common ostrich (Columbus Zoo)

red-billed leiothrix (Columbus Zoo). Not a good shot, but I like the pose.

brown-headed cowbird (Columbus Zoo)

king vulture (Minnesota Zoo)

lesser flamingo (Minnesota Zoo)

American avocet (Minnesota Zoo)

chestnut-breasted malkoha (Toledo Zoo)

Palawan peacock pheasant - female (Toledo Zoo)

crested coua (Toledo Zoo)

blue-bellied roller (Toledo Zoo)

northern bald ibis (Toledo Zoo)

Silvery-cheeked Hornbill

Just before a cheetah run at the Columbus Zoo in September there was a silvery-cheeked hornbill show at the watering hole. As with the Minnesota Zoo's bird show, Rogue was free-flying, and she flew to a log on the other side of the water before I realized what what going on.

Rogue picked-up fruit with her beak and gave it a toss to her mouth.

 Rogue then flew back across the water.