Toledo May 27 Birds

Here's more from Toledo. I love the birds.

Himalayan monal

That guy 👆 is a challenge. He is spectacular, but I haven't seen him spend time in the open. The Pheasantry is a group of cages around a core building where keepers do their things. Most of the enclosures have plenty of bushes behind which birds can hide, and the food dishes are usually at the back. These are the best pictures I have of him.

roseate spoonbill

blue-winged kookaburra

laughing kookaburra

Swinhoe's pheasant

crested coua

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)

Pheasants

The Toledo Zoo has an outdoor pheasantry, which houses pheasants and other birds, and there are pheasants in the indoor aviary. The pheasantry's enclosures tend to have lots of shadows and bushes that obscure the birds. Which means I have goals.

These birds are male.

A great argus. His tail can be twice as long (during breeding season, I presume).

A Palawan peacock pheasant. I love the iridescent blue.

Palawan peackock pheasant

A golden pheasant. This guy would not lift his head. It's not a good shot, but it's better than the one from the Columbus Zoo: All I got was the underside of a tail.

Himalayan monal. If he left the shadows we could see how spectacular he is.

Swinhoe's pheasant

Cabot's tragopan

Cabot's tragopan