Why Birds? Why NOT Birds?

I am sure none of my old classmates would be surprised to see me working with animals today. I was the kid who volunteered to hold snakes and parrots during presentations even in elementary school.

Norbert the Bald Eagle gliding into the theater (photo: Carmen Volante)

Still, I get asked “Why birds?” often enough, and frankly struggle to come up with a short reply. Three general things do come to mind when I think about why I love birds and enjoy working with them, and I can conveniently use some of the birds gearing up for the World Bird Sanctuary’s Birds of Prey show at Boston’s Stone Zoo as examples!

The first reason I always give for my fascination with these winged creatures is simply the pure variety of birds in the world. It's thought that there are just under ten thousand living species of birds today. That's a number only surpassed by fish, insects, and spiders in the animal world.

Scarlett the Red-shouldered Hawk showing off her beautiful coloring (photo: Carmen Volante)

From Red-shouldered Hawks having slimmer, longer legs to better catch snakes and amphibians to Harris's Hawks hunting in groups to catch the elusive desert hare, bird adaptability has allowed them to occupy every environment and niche.

You may be thinking you see the same sparrows, robins, or finches in your backyard all the time, but take a walk to a nearby park or field and the occupants can change dramatically, no matter what time of year it is! This doesn't just apply to what the bird is eating either. Color, song, flight pattern, what a nest is made of – and keep your eyes and ears open and you may find those sparrows in your backyard are actually three different species.

Rio flying across stage (photo: Flannery O'Brien)

Of course, bright colors and flight are usually what people think of when picturing birds. Whether it's one of our raptors gliding over the seats or Rio the Red & Green Macaw flashing her colorful wings across stage, the beauty of birds easily grabs attention. Feathers have been a part of fashion for centuries, and I doubt I need to go into how our admiration of flying has played a role in human history.

I also can't help but throw the word cute in here. Has anyone else noticed owls taking over the fashion world lately? Even if someone is nervous around our larger birds, most cannot seem to resist an owl's fluffy appearance and huge eyes.

My final point is brains! I dare say that birds are greatly underrated when it comes to their intelligence. When flying in free-flight shows we rely on the birds to recognize their flying pattern well enough to not be looking to every perch or platform before finding the trainer, but also to wait for said trainer to call them to the spot before taking off.

Nemo the African Grey parrot responding to a cue word (photo: Flannery O'Brien)

It’s mostly common knowledge that parrots are smart enough to mimic human speech, but did you know there are crows in Japan that drop nuts in the road at red lights and wait for cars to crack them open when it turns green? Some wild Corvids (the family of birds that includes crows, ravens, jays, etc.) use twigs just like chimpanzees do to find insects! I am fascinated by how resourceful and quick birds can be. I could go on and on with particular species and examples.

Being a part of the summer live bird show is my way of hopefully rubbing some of my love for birds off on others, and maybe even inspiring a future wildlife rehabilitator or biologist. I don't expect everyone to run home and watch an avian documentary, but next time you hear a birdsong you don't recognize or glimpse a hawk flying overhead take a moment to enjoy the feathered part of our world.

Submitted by Carmen Volante, World Bird Sanctuary Boston Zoo Show Trainer

Special Delivery

Throughout my time at World Bird Sanctuary I have helped to transport many birds.  Every so often new birds arrive that are coming from someplace far away, so we receive them by plane.  If you think it is a hassle to pick up people from the airport, just wait until you are waiting for a bird to arrive!

Scarlett the Red-Shouldered Hawk (photo:  Gay Schroer)

I have picked up three different birds for World Bird Sanctuary during my time, and each one has been a different experience.  Scarlett, our Red-shouldered Hawk, was the first bird I was ever charged with getting from the airport, and I was very excited.  Of course since it was the first time that meant I had to first find the Air Cargo depot, which took me a lot of trial and error and some help from a (friendly) airport security guard.  Once I finally found my way to “Cargo City” it was a piece of cake.   I just gave them my confirmation number and they gave me my hawk.

Reese the Great Horned Owl (photo:  Leah Tyndall)

Simple and quick!  “Well, that was easy and totally repeatable,” I foolishly thought to myself.  Since things went swimmingly for my first go round (minus getting lost) I was eager to pick up the next bird (Reese, the Great Horned Owl) a month later.  As an added bonus I got to stretch my naturalist skills and tell everyone in the Air Cargo office all about Great Horned Owls.  He was a quiet little passenger on the ride back, except for the occasional hoot every time that I coughed.  Once again, I thought to myself that that was easy and if it needed to happen again, I was totally game!

Azizi, our young Abdim's Stork (photo:  Leah Tyndall)

Finally, on March 6 I had another chance!  We were getting a new, young Abdim’s Stork (native to Africa, but this one was hatched in Delaware) and he needed to be picked up from the airport.  His flight was supposed to get in at 6:30.   I would have to wait about an hour for him to go through security and then back to WBS.  I may have been so excited I jumped the gun and got there at 6:45, but I didn’t mind.  I figured I would just wait in the office and play on my phone…you can see where this is going, right? 

I sat down for a bit since I knew the stork wouldn’t be ready until later and watched people pick up their dogs.  At around 7 they asked for my confirmation number and told me that the plane had been delayed in taking off due to mechanical issues, so the bird arrival would be closer to nine.  An hour later I found out the stork was not due until 11!  The plane had taken off, returned to Dulles airport and was waiting to take off again!  At this point my phone decided it was a great time to flash low battery, so I pulled out my pocket logic puzzles, bought a soda and settled into my surprisingly comfortable chair.  The plane was delayed twice more. 

The office closed, although the wonderful people at United Cargo let me stay, and finally the plane arrived at midnight, and then I waited an hour for the stork to go through security.  Finally at 1:02 AM I glimpsed the little bundle of joy. 

We drove back in silence and bright and early in the morning I let him out of his crate.  As he chittered happily and flapped his wings to beg for food I realized all of the trouble was worth it.  He was precious, and so we named him Azizi, which means precious in Arabic.

Azizi, bravely checking out his new quarters (Photo:  Leah Tyndall)

Life with birds is never boring and not just training them. Each airport visit will always stick with me, whether it was the terror of being followed by Airport security, the quiet hoots from my back seat or the first time I laid eyes on a precious stork.  Despite my last trip, I’m psyched about the opportunity to pick up the next bird.

Submitted by Leah Tyndall, World Bird Sanctuary Naturalist/Trainer

How Our Birds Get Their Names

The staff gets asked many different questions at the summer bird programs World Bird Sanctuary presents at zoos.  What type of bird is that?  How old is the bird?  Can it fly?  By far one of the most common questions is what is the bird’s name?

Humans have an innate desire to name things.  This does not just include their pets, but also their houses and even their modes of transportation.  All boats have a name from the tiniest dinghy to the grandest yacht.  I’ve even named both the cars I’ve owned.  We humans just love to have something to call things other than what they actually are.

Vader the Black Vulture (photo by Gay Schroer)

While not all of our birds or animals can actually recognize their names (though many seem to), we need something to call them other than their species.  World Bird Sanctuary is home to over twenty Bald Eagles, which could get confusing.  Calling them by their species and then a number doesn’t work either, especially in a program setting.  “Ladies and gentleman, entering from the back of the theater is Bald Eagle number fifteen!”  That sounds a little ridiculous, particularly if you only have the one Bald Eagle in your show!  Hence, all of our animals have names, even our Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches.

Naming a bird can sometimes be tricky.  You need something that is clever, especially if the bird is a show bird, but also easy to say.  Remember this is a word you will need to repeat many times throughout the program.  When we obtained a black vulture we toyed with many names including “Noir” which is French for black and also an excellent film genre.  Of course once we practiced saying Noir over and over, we decided it might not be the best fit.  Likewise if you choose anything mythological or tribal you want to make sure it means what you think it means.

Osiris our Egyptian Vulture is named for an Egyptian god (photo by Gay Schroer)

Tsavo our fantastic Bateleur Eagle is named for Tsavo National Park in Africa.  Unfortunately the name “Tsavo” translates to “place of slaughter”.  Osiris an Egyptian Vulture is named for the Egyptian god of the underworld.  Osiris turned out to be a girl.

Hugnin our White-naped Raven (photo by Gay Schroer)

Our White-necked Raven Hugnin on the other hand is perfect.  In Norse mythology Odin had two ravens; Hugnin and Munnin, representing thought and memory respectively. Hugnin is an incredibly smart bird so her name actually works on two levels, like Scarlett our Red Shouldered hawk (named for Scarlett O’Hara and the color) and Jet our American Kestrel (because he kicks like Jet Li and is fast like a jet).

Scarlett the Red-shouldered Hawk (photo by Gay Schroer)

We not only scour mythology for names but also history as in the case of many of our Bald Eagles, like Lewis and Clark, or Timigen our Red Tailed Hawk named for the boyhood name of Genghis Khan.  Timigen was quite a force to be reckoned with when he was younger.

Timigen the Red-tailed Hawk (photo by Gay Schroer)

 Every single name we choose for our birds has a story or a reason, be it their personality (Mischief another White Necked Raven), literary reference (Poe our Common Raven), appearance (Reese a very orange Great Horned Owl), in memory of a wonderful volunteer(Kinsey a Turkey Vulture) or even where they were found (Sanibel a Bald Eagle found on Sanibel Island, Florida).

Every single bird has a name and every name has a story. So, next time you are at World Bird Sanctuary ask about the bird’s name, the answer may actually surprise you.

Submitted by Leah Tyndall, World Bird Sanctuary Naturalist/Trainer

I Love My Job

I love my job--working with birds at the World Bird Sanctuary and seeing the look on a kid's face right after a bird flies just above their head.  But for me, the single best part of my job is doing zoo shows; more precisely, training different behaviors that our birds perform during those shows.

The process of working with a bird to teach, refine and perfect a behavior is the single coolest thing I get to do.  During our zoo shows we get to showcase these amazing behaviors for others to witness.  

For example:

Locust, our Red-Legged Seriema will slam a rubber snake into the ground, mimicking how they do this in the wild to kill snakes and break up the bones to make it easier for the Seriema to swallow.  

Red-legged Seriemas have a unique method for capturing and killing prey...the Seriema Slam!

Cupid, one of our American Barn Owls, can find and fly to a trainer offstage without being able to see them.  This is possible because of a special "pish" cue.  Barn Owls can find the audible cue because of a specialized facial disc made of controllable stiff feathers that will direct sound to their ears.  In the wild they use this ability to track down prey at night, sometimes even in complete darkness.  

Scarlett, our Red-Shouldered Hawk can fly out from behind a corner and find a trainer in mid-flight.  This is called a "blind release" because they can't see where the trainer is before they start flying.  In the wild, Red-Shouldered Hawks live in woodlands near rivers, flying through the trees.  So, it is important for them to be able to quickly see where they need to go in case they are flying at prey to catch and eat.  

Scarlett, the Red-shouldered Hawk executes a blind release to the on-stage trainer 

Hugnin, a White-Necked Raven, will take generous dollar donations from your hand and put them inside of her donation box, mimicking how in the wild ravens, crows, jays and other birds will hide or 'stash' items that they find valuable.  This can also include food—just in case they can't find enough another day--then they can go back to their stash to eat.  

These are just a few examples of some of the different behaviors our birds do during our educational shows at different zoos throughout the summer.  To see these amazing behaviors and many more, you will just have to come visit us next summer at Milwaukee County Zoo in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, or at Stone Zoo, just north of Boston, Massachusetts.

We will be in Milwaukee from Memorial Day until Labor Day and Boston's Stone Zoo from 1 May through Labor Day, every day of the week, three times a day, weather permitting, of course.  We hope to see you there!

Submitted by Mike Cerutti, World Bird Sanctuary Naturalist/Trainer

Audience Questions

“You have the coolest job.”  “I want to be just like you when I get bigger.”  “You must love coming to work every day.”  “I love seeing the birds!”  These are just a few of the comments World Bird Sanctuary bird show presenters hear every day.  And I must tell you, it never gets old!

Cupid the American Barn Owl flying into trainer's glove - photo by Lisa McCabe

However, there is something even better than compliments.  And what’s that, you may ask?  The questions!  From my two years’ experience working with birds at World Bird Sanctuary’s Milwaukee County Zoo bird show and five years of working in a zoo, I have found that questions from the general public about animals can be broken up into 3 categories.

 

Buford the Bald Eagle out in the public display area - photo by Erica Fenske

General Animal Questions.  These common questions are usually about age, species, or name.  Every once in a while though you get the really good ones--the ones that challenge you as a trainer.  With only two years under my belt, I get challenged every day.  But the wonderful thing about being challenged is that it gives me an excuse to ask even more questions!  If someone asks me how many feathers are on a bird’s head, I ask my supervisor how many are on their entire body.  If someone asks what a bird eats, I ask specifically what species.  No matter how much I learn there is always something more to learn!  I ask questions every single day and as much as I can to improve myself, so I can improve how I do my job.

How Can You Do This?  As weird as it sounds, I enjoy answering these.  No matter which species you work with, you sometimes get a “non-zoo person” who can’t fathom the idea of animals in captivity and find our career choices as “wrong.”  You can’t help but be frustrated at first, but that is why we do what we do.  Having the animals on display only fulfills part of their duties as ambassadors of their species.  We are here to fulfill the other half by explaining to people how they are doing it.  No, we don’t take perfectly healthy animals out of the wild.  No, they are not miserable.  Yes we take the best care possible of them and give them the best lives they could ever imagine.  Explaining these concepts, one person at a time, makes me feel like I am making a difference in the world.  And, hopefully if we educate enough people, we can help animals everywhere.

Scarlett the Red Shouldered Hawk - photo by Erica Fenske

How Do I Get a Job Like This?  Now THIS is my favorite question.  I love when children/young adults ask me this question because I wish I had asked it more myself when I was their age!  It shows that people care and more people out there want to serve our purpose--to educate the world about these amazing and beautiful creatures.  By now I have my basic response--get a science related college degree, do lots of volunteer/internship work, and most of all, have lots of determination.  Even though it is such a basic response, no one ever walks away looking discouraged, and that is the best feeling in the WORLD!  Yes, flying a Bald Eagle is a pretty amazing feeling, but knowing I might have just inspired someone to help eagles fly longer in the wild is a much cooler feeling!

So all in all, always ask questions.  And if you don’t know the answer, ask even more questions.  Questions are limitless and no one should ever stop asking!  A very wise teacher once told me that, “Any day that you don’t learn something new is a wasted day.”

Submitted by Erica Fenske, World Bird Sanctuary Seasonal Zoo Show Staff Member

Scarlett The Red-shouldered Hawk

During WBS’s zoo show season, when we present educational bird shows at zoos around the nation, I always try to like all the birds equally, but it is inevitable that I end up liking a few more than the others.  It’s true the other way around also, with some of the birds ending up liking other trainers more than me.  I find that for me it is usually the corvids (crows and ravens) I end up liking the most, probably because of their high level of intelligence, social behavior and problem solving skills. 

However, this year (at least so far) I was a little surprised to find out that the bird I am most drawn to is Scarlett, our new Red-shouldered Hawk.  I shouldn't be too terribly surprised that I like Scarlett so much.  After all, hawks are my favorite raptors.

Scarlett came to World Bird Sanctuary from the Cincinnati Zoo.  She is still young, only four years old, and it is her first time flying in front of audiences.  In fact, it’s not just HER first time in front of audiences, but as far as we know, the first time in the history of the entire United States of America that a Red-shouldered Hawk has been free flown in a bird show.  So I’m not just excited about her flying, but I am very proud of this whole Milwaukee County Zoo bird show crew (Leah Tyndall, Erica Fenske, Matt Levin and myself) for making history. 

Scarlett about to land on trainer Erica Fenske's glove

Red-shouldered Hawks generally live in forested areas where they can perch in the sub-canopy and look for food.  They have broad wings and usually soar with their tail fanned out.  It almost looks like they are “reaching” with their wings as they fly.  They also flap their wings vigorously during flight, much like an accipiter (for example, a Cooper’s Hawk is an accipiter).   Scarlett almost always flies with her feet hanging down while she vigorously flaps, going from trainer to trainer across the stage. 

Scarlett often makes distinctive calls throughout the day.  Anytime she sees one of the trainers, and sometimes just random people, she will make the “kee-rah” call for which her species is so well known.  Red-shouldered Hawks are known for being very territorial, so I imagine that she is letting us know we are invading her space. 

Much like Red-tailed Hawks, Red-shouldered Hawks are opportunistic feeders.  This means that they will eat anything that they can catch.  This often includes rats, squirrels, moles and voles.  But they will eat things like snakes, frogs, lizards, small birds and toads if they catch them. 

With winters being milder lately, probably due to global warming, Red-shoulder hawks are making their territories further and further north.  In fact they can even be found up here in Wisconsin, while only twenty years ago you would barely even see them back home in Missouri. 

So all in all, I don't think it is just Scarlett that I am liking so much, but also her personal story, as well as Red-shouldered Hawks in general.

Photos and Text by Mike Cerutti, World Bird Sanctuary Assistant Supervisor, Milwaukee Zoo Show