Animal Diaries Archive

Swift Parrots Make Australia Zoo There Home

5 November 2004

"Hot diggety duck"... At last the sky has opened up and the long awaited rain has finally fallen. Besides settling the dust and the plants quenching their thirst, it also means the birds have gone 'troppo' and every bird is staking out their territories, making a claim on any available real estate.

In preparation for the rain, and the excitable behaviour that goes along with it, the bird team has been going like 'scalded cats', setting up more and more nest logs and also providing materials for the birdies that would rather make their own nests. Hopefully now we can sit back and enjoy the fruits of our labour and enjoy the ensuing courtship displays, nest building and the squabbles over nestlogs and finally the arrival of this seasons youngsters.

Once again we've had the privilege of more new arrivals, and this week Healsville Sanctuary in Victoria sent us three male Swift Parrots for our Rainforest Aviary. The three boys are little rippers who are absolutely exquisite and have added more splashes of colour to our aviary. Their delightful nature and beautiful calls have made them a huge favourite already.

So next time you drop into the Zoo, be sure to have a quick 'captain cook' in the rainforest aviary at these special little fellas. Don't dilly dally because they are fast little birdies and if you're too slow, you'll only catch a glimpse of the swiftest parrot of them all.

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