Our Chrys

Here’s another poem by World Bird Sanctuary friend and guest author Marge Biermann about Chrys, the Long Crested Eagle. Chrys was taken from his African homeland by black market smugglers, and Marge’s poem is about his traumatic journey to the United States.

Chrys, the Long-crested Eagle (photo: Gay Schroer)

“OUR CHRYS

Greed is often an element for sadness in life.

It has certainly caused our little Chrys a lot of strife.

Taken from his African home, the wild place of his birth,

His trip covered many frightening miles on this earth.

He was a helpless victim of the black market trade.

In this whole world who could come to his aid….

Handle him with care and true understanding,

Because this life change was so cruel and demanding.

His beautiful crest cut off to give some disguise,

Why pick on this innocent creature so small in size?

He offered no threat but was a beauty to see,

And asked only that in this life he could fly free.

But good for our Chrys….he has found the help he needs,

From folks dedicated to birds of all breeds.

A sanctuary of rest and care….A new home.

He’s no longer alone to wander aimlessly and roam.

With nurturing and love from others,

Chrys has found a way to help all of his lost brothers.

He’s now a messenger of hope to birds in distress.

In this great place he found rest and time to convalesce.

It’s the St. Louis World Sanctuary for Birds,

A blessing to winged creatures that surpasses all words.

Since Chrys was captured as an adult, his age is uncertain.  He arrived at the World Bird Sanctuary in 1987, so we know that he is over 28 years old.   Even though he is somewhat shy, Chrys has adapted well to life at WBS and over the years has helped to educate thousands about the evils of the black market trade. 

Most days you can find Chrys sitting on his perch in the weathering area behind the World Environmental Education Center sunning himself, bathing or just people watching.

Chrys is available for adoption through our Adopt A Bird program. Your adoption donation will help to feed, house and care for Chrys during the coming year.   To adopt Chrys online Click Here, or call 636-861-3225 and ask for Marion.

Submitted by Marge Biermann, World Bird Sanctuary Guest Author

What Type of Bird is That?

Hello and welcome back!  Have you ever seen a bird and wondered what type it was?

There are almost 10,000 bird species in the world!  In this blog I would like to introduce you to one particular bird we have at the World Bird Sanctuary.

Chrys, our beautiful Long-crested Eagle (Photo by Gay Schroer)  

Meet Chrys, our Long-crested Eagle (Lophaetus occipitalis)!  Unfortunately, he was captured in the wild and was going to be sold on the black market pet trade in the United States in 1987.  The United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) rescued him.  When they found him, they found that his beautiful crest had been cut off to try to disguise him as a different bird.  Fortunately, they transferred him to the World Bird Sanctuary in December 1987, and he has been with us ever since.  Chrys is a shy bird, but loves to vocalize when he sees someone he recognizes.

These awesome eagles get their name from the long feathers atop their head.  They are native to Sub-Saharan areas in Africa.  They can be found from Senegal to Ethiopia and Namibia to northern South Africa.  Their main diet is made up of rodents, but they’ll also eat smaller birds, fish, lizards, and arthropods.  Believe it or not, they have also been seen eating figs and mulberries!  This is very unusual since they are birds of prey, which are mainly carnivores (meat eaters).

As with most birds of prey, the females are larger than the males.  The males range from 912g to 1300g (2 lbs to 2.8 lbs) and females range from 1300g to 1500g (2.8 lbs to 3.3 lbs).  Both sexes look the same except the females have longer crests.  They stand from 1.7 to 2 ft tall and have a wingspan from 3.7 to 4.2 ft long.  These eagles are very small in comparison to the Bald Eagle which has a wingspan of 6 to 8 ft. and weighs from 6 lbs to 14 lbs.   Below notice Chrys showing off his wingspan after a rainstorm.

Chrys after a rainstorm (Photo by Lisbeth Hodges)

Long-crested Eagles will build large stick nests in tall leafy green trees near edges of forests.  One to two brown/gray spotted eggs are laid and incubated by the female while the male hunts and stays nearby.  The chicks hatch after 42 days and will fledge (leave the nest) 53-58 days after that. For approximately fourteen days following the fledging, the chicks continue to be fed by the parents before leaving on their own. 

The lifespan for this species in the wild is unknown.  Chrys was an adult when he was rescued so he is at least 27 years old this year.  He looks pretty good to me!  Below you can see a picture of adorable Chrys resting on his perch in his stall.

Photo by Lisbeth Hodges

Chrys is available for adoption in our Adopt a Bird program.  To find out more information, call 636-861-3225.  All adoption donations are tax deductible. 

Chrys can be seen at the Environmental Education Center at the World Bird Sanctuary, which is open daily from 8am-5pm.  Chrys is a very handsome bird.  You should stop on by and visit him! 

Submitted by Lisbeth Hodges, World Bird Sanctuary Naturalist

Water Play

On a hot summer day our birds are like kids playing in the backyard sprinkler.

Here are some "before" and "after" photos.

Meet Chrys, our magnificent Long Crested Eagle!  OK--so let's see how YOU look right after stepping out of the shower!

Max, our Tawny Eagle seems to be able to look stately whether he's wet or dry.

Then there's Skyler, the Lizzard Buzzard, who manages to look "cute" no matter what he does!

Come out and meet these three characters in our weathering area.  They always have a tub of water available for impromptu bathing sessions.