Hada Ibis at the Oregon Zoo

Abstract

I n 1989, the Oregon Zoo opened its Africa exhibit. One of the subsections of that exhibit is an open-air aviary. This aviary has housed a number of birds and mammals over the years and one

of the residents has been a pair of Hadada Ibis (Bostrychia hagedash ). The male ibis was hatched on 16 July 1992 at the Franklin Park Zoo, Boston and the female was hatched on 14 May 1990 at Zoo Atlanta. These ibis have been very successful in hatching out and raising off spring over the last couple of years. Information gathered from their endeavor is being presented here.

The aviary is approximately 8300 square feet of surface area with a wire mesh (lxl inches for the side netting and 2x2 for the top) to enclose it. The substrate has ranged from pea gravel to dirt with occasionally grass being grown in the exhibit. There are a number oflarge trees that have been allowed to grow through the upper netting. Bamboo is the main plant in the exhibit. A concrete pond that has been coated with a rubberized coating and is cleaned by the dump/clean/and fill method is in the exhibit. There is a holding area that the animals can walk into as well as two small barns.

There have been numerous species housed in the exhibit over the years besides the Hadada Ibis. One species of mammal has been the Red-flanked Duiker (Cephalophus rufilatus). These duikers have been successful in breeding and rearing young in the exhibit and are currently housed there today. Other species of birds which have been exhibited with the Hadadas include Saddle-billed Storks (Ephippiorhynchus senegalensis), Spoonbills (Plata/ea alba), a Hooded Vulture (Necrosyrtes monacbus), Hartlaub's Duck (Pteronetta hartlaubii), and a variety of north American waterfowl. Currently residing along with the Hadadas are Sacred Ibis (Threskiornis aethiopicus ), Red-crested Pochards (Netta rufina), White-faced Tree Tucks (Dendrocygna viduata) and Fulvous Tree Ducks (Dendrocygna bicolor).

The Hadadas had bred once in the early years but not much of the information concerning that event was recorded. In subsequent years the Population Management Program recommendation was not to breed the birds. The birds were discouraged from reproducing primarily by limiting the nesting materials available to them as well as destroying their nest. When the nest could be reached a second method was to spray the eggs with cooking spray to inhibit egg development. This second method had the advantage of allowing the birds to incubate an egg and not have the female constantly laying eggs. Correctly colored dummy eggs were not available.

In 2009 the PMP for Hadadas made the recommendation to breed this pair. Earlier in the year some major tree work was done in the exhibit. One of the tulip trees was topped and the birds made a nest on the flat area. This had the added advantage of being able to view into most of the nest by climbing up into a planter that was approximately 30 feet away.

The ibis were left to their own devices and by mid October of that year we had our first chick. Unfortunately no detailed records were kept with regards to when the egg was laid and the chick hatch out. Twenty-eight days after the initial discovery of the chick, it fledged.

In 2010 our first egg laid hatched out after 26 days. This chick was observed being fed and everything appeared to be going well.

 

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