ZooNooz Article - JUNE 2009

Strictly for the birds

Story by David Harris,
Photographs Brian Chant

Red-tailed Black Cockatoo

Our "Bird Show" is a magnificent presentation, very different from the sort of bird show you might see in a travelling circus, where timid white doves ride tiny bicycles or climb ladders. Rather, Taronga's show is a wonderful display of the beauty of flight and a demonstration of the special skills and talents birds use in their day-to-day life. Birds in the Taronga show are encouraged to build their confidence with their trainers and become active participants in both their training and show performances.

Senior keeper Matt Kettle has been with the Bird Show since its inception. Initially it took him around a year of hard work to get the first show up and running. But the work didn't stop there, as the birds' behaviours are always being managed and the show is constantly evolving. It's been slow, meticulous work on the part of the seven keepers involved in preparing birds for this magical presentation.

Some of the birds in the show were originally brought to the zoo's veterinary clinic with some sort of injury. Minkar, a sea eagle who has been with the show since the start, is a typical example. She had been caught in a rabbit trap and needed lengthy treatment at the zoo's veterinary clinic. When she was finally ready to leave it was determined that she was unreleasable, because she would probably not survive in the wild. And so she began a twelve-year career as one of the stars of the bird show, sweeping in low over the amphitheatre, thrilling audiences with her wonderful white plumage and impressive wing span. Sadly, in recent months keepers have noticed that she was becoming clumsy, sometimes missing her footing as she landed. A veterinary examination revealed that permanent scarring on her retinas was impairing the 13-year-old's vision. So Minkar has now retired from the show.

Birds which have not arrived via the veterinary clinic are invariably captive bred. They come from specialist breeders or from other zoos or wildlife sanctuaries. Often they come as a group, as in the case of the most recent arrivals, a magnificent flock of Red-tailed Black Cockatoos.

Barn Owl

Preparing a new arrival is a slow, steady and painstaking process. It begins with a couple of months of gentle positive reinforcement, as the bird learns that it will receive a food reward whenever it completes a certain behaviour such as returning to its enclosure. Gradually it gains confidence and trust in its trainer. It is then ready to "stretch its wings" in the outside world. Keepers take the birds to clear spaces, such as ovals or parkland – preferably close to sea level, which makes flying easier and safer because it is generally less exposed to wind turbulence. Here they have an opportunity to fly around freely, gaining confidence and taking control of their own behaviour. They know that when they are ready they can return to their portable enclosure and receive a reward. Sometimes they take off and land in a nearby tree, but nobody comes chasing after them with a net or starts climbing the tree to re-capture them. They return in their own time and are rewarded accordingly. This is a task that obviously requires endless patience and discipline on the part of the trainers to ensure that the reward program is consistent.

After months of this preparation the new birds are eventually introduced to the show. Each bird or group of birds plays a part in shaping the nature of the performance. If you come to a show you won't see precision formation flying or birds performing clever stunts. But what you will see is far more satisfying and spectacular.

Arriving at the amphitheatre on a sunny day you can't help but be stunned by the magnificent backdrop of the city skyline – the bridge and Opera House on centre stage, a background of high rise buildings with the wonderful foliage of the Botanic Gardens sweeping down to the glistening harbour in the foreground. Only something really special could upstage that view. And the Bird Show is that something special. One after another owls, eagles, a buzzard, a brolga, a huge Andean Condor and a variety of parrots sweep in (mostly on cue!) low over the heads of the audience, providing a breath-taking display of their natural abilities.

Over time the show keeps evolving. Currently it comes to a spectacular conclusion with the arrival of two flocks of cockatoos, white Sulphur-crested Cockatoos and Redand White-tailed Black Cockatoos, which circle the arena and finally settle on a large tree trunk at the centre of the stage.

At the end of each show audience members are encouraged to come down to the stage to have a close encounter with a galah and perhaps make a donation to assist with bird conservation. To date the bird show has managed to raise $70,000 for this important work.

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