Water Birds

Join us here for our Wonderful Water Birds presentation every Monday at 12:30pm.

This enclosure houses a variety of water birds. These are birds that live in and around fresh, brackish, or salt water. You’ll notice Brown pelicans, a Royal tern, a Double crested cormorant, Black-crowned night herons, a Canada goose, and a mottled duck.

Brown pelicans have a unique way of staying cool in hot weather. They have specialized blood vessels in their throat pouches that help dissipate excess heat. During hot weather, they flutter their throat pouches or hold them slightly open to increase airflow and promote evaporative cooling, helping them regulate their body temperature.

There are three brown pelicans in this enclosure; one juvenile and two adults. The juvenile is blind in one eye. One adult was found in the icy Connecticut river where she caught pneumonia and got frostbite. The majority of her toes had to be amputated due to the severity of the frostbite. The other adult was transferred from another facility.  

Learn more from The Cornell Lab All About Birds

Brown pelican: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Brown_Pelican

Like other tern species, royal terns are skilled aerial hunters. They employ a dive-bombing technique to catch fish, plunging headfirst into the water from heights of up to 30 feet to capture their prey. Their streamlined bodies and sharp bills make them efficient hunters, allowing them to snatch fish with precision and agility.

The tern on exhibit has a wing injury.

Learn more from The Cornell Lab All About Birds

Royal tern: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Royal_Tern

Double-crested cormorants are highly skilled divers, capable of swimming and hunting underwater for extended periods. They have streamlined bodies and powerful webbed feet that propel them through the water with ease. They can dive to depths of up to 60 feet  in search of fish, their primary prey. After diving, they often surface with their wings spread open to dry them, as their feathers can become waterlogged.

Learn more from The Cornell Lab All About Birds

Double-crested cormorant: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Double-crested_Cormorant

Black-crowned night herons have a distinctive appearance with a black crown and back, gray wings, and white underparts. They also have red eyes and relatively short legs compared to other heron species. During the breeding season, adult birds develop long, wispy feathers on their heads and backs, adding to their unique appearance.

There are two black-crowned night herons in this exhibit. One is habituated to humans and the other has a wing injury.

Learn more from The Cornell Lab All About Birds

Black-crowned night heron: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Black-crowned_Night_Heron

One of the most iconic behaviors of Canada geese is their migration pattern, where they fly in a distinctive V-shaped formation. This formation serves several purposes: it reduces wind resistance for the geese flying behind the leader, conserves energy by taking advantage of updrafts, and allows for effective communication among group members. Additionally, the honking calls of the geese flying in formation are thought to help maintain group cohesion.

The Canada goose is here because she was a confiscated illegal pet. They are federally protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.

Learn more from The Cornell Lab All About Birds

Canada goose: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Canada_Goose

Mottled ducks are distinguished by their mottled brown plumage with darker streaks and spots, providing excellent camouflage in their marshy habitats. These ducks are primarily found in the southeastern United States, particularly in coastal marshes, wetlands, and prairies of Florida, Louisiana, and Texas.

Learn more from The Cornell Lab All About Birds

Mottled Duck: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Mottled_Duck/id