Tropics Inside

Just back from a brief winter visit to the NC Zoo tropical aviary.

Stepped from the brisk, almost bitter, outside air into that in-your-face, moist warmth of the upper aviary. That shift, combined with the varying sweet smells and whistles and calls would let me know I was in a new habitat, even if my eyes were closed to the unique plants and colorful birds.

More closely cropped than I am used to find it, many smaller birds were flying too rapidly through the aviary foliage to identify. (It was nice to see the fast circling of the upper dome; usually by pair of birds of varied species.)

My old (the old bird is 21) friend the grey-headed kingfisher was in a new spot. (The brilliant scarlet ibis and a nesting sunbittern were where I usually find the kingfisher.) Look for the kingfisher several feet up a barren tree based in the aviary pool or diving for crickets. "This kingfisher eats more insects than fish", the aviary staff point out in a recent zoowide e-mail.

A newcomer, a very red eclectus parrot, perches in very plain sight.

I spotted another old (22) friend - the red-crested touraco. The touraco and the eclectus parrot are two of the noisier residents of the aviary.

A couple quiet roul rouls crossed my path. The aviary keepers tell us there are now seven of them and you have really made a sighting if you catch them dust-bathing in some dry aviary soil.

An endangered white-winged wood duck was not scarce on this visit. (Did not spot the critically endangered Bali mynah; understand that they are only housed in the aviary in winter because they like to eat the eggs and chicks of other NC Zoo birds in season.)

Came across one of the two Victoria-crowned pigeons and experienced many other sights, sounds, smells and feelings (the aviary "cools" as you wind down into it), but those were among the highlights.