Friday, April 11, 2008

Adopt A Bird spotlight: Sara and Gomez


Sara's Story
Sara was hatched and reared by her parents at the Woodland Park Zoological Gardens in Seattle. She arrived at the World Bird Sanctuary on June 10, 1993. After a settling in period, the staff at our Education Training Center began training Sara to participate in our educational programs.

One of the highlights of the Seriema performance is a demonstration of how this species hunts in the wild by snatching up their prey and slamming it on the ground to stun and kill it. Lizards and snakes are a favorite food. This behavior has earned them a favorable status among the indigenous people of their native South America.

In 2004 Sara was paired with Gomez in the hope that they would be compatible. After some initial bickering, they settled in and have since produced four eggs in two years. The photo above shows them performing the yelping call for which these birds are famous. It sounds like a cross between a dog yelping and a turkey gobbling and can be heard over a mile away Sara is the bird on the log.



Gomez's Story
Gomez was hatched and reared at the Woodland Park Zoological Gardens in Seattle in 1991. He arrived at the World Bird Sanctuary in 1992 and began his training to participate in educational programs. Like Sara, his specialty was to demonstrate how his species hunts in the wild by catching prey and slamming it against the ground to kill it. According to the director of our training department, he was our best and most reliable "slammer."

In 2004 he was retired from performing and paired with Sara in our breeding program. However, as you can see from the photo above, he has not forgotten how to "slam." He is pictured with a tree frog that he found and caught in his enclosure, and of which he was very proud. The morning this photo was taken, he was showing his prize off to anyone who would pay attention!


To adopt Sara or Gomez, simply click our donation button, make a donation of $100, and specify in your payment notes: Adopt-a-bird: SARA or enter GOMEZ. If you'd like to adopt the pair, make your donation for $175 and specify: SARA AND GOMEZ. Also include your name, phone number, and mailing address so that we can send you your adoption materials!

Every donation helps to feed, house, and provide medical care for the bird of your choice! Adopt-A-Bird Parents Receive:

*A personal visit with the bird you adopt!!!!! Call 636-861-3225 to set up a time
for your personal visit.
* Certificate of Adoption
* Color photo of the bird you've adopted
* Sponsorship Card
* One year's subscription to Mews News (our quarterly newsletter)
* Life History and Natural History of the bird
* 10% Discount off WBS merchandise
* Invitation to Sponsors-only events like Camera Day
* Discounts on WBS Special Events
* WBS Decal

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