You Must Be Quackers !
Birds of the world's lakes, ponds, rivers and marshes.
Unlike the rest of the animals in the Zoo, waterfowl can have homes in many countries. Each bird may migrate thousands of miles to live and breed, from season to season.
The biggest problem faced by the world's aquatic birds are man-made. Water pollution is the main threat, as industrial chemicals are pumped into rivers all over the globe, poisoning birds and killing the fish they eat. Add to this accidental spillages of oil, the draining of marshes to make farmland and overfishing, and you have a pretty serious problem. We should do all we can to protect this fragile and disappearing environment.
Eastern White Pelican
Found - Europe / Asia, edge of rivers and lakes
Threats - Man, over fishing and draining of lakes and rivers
At the Zoo - The group has good breeding potential. They even laid some eggs last year, a first in UK zoos
Did you know? - They scoop fish into their huge throat pouches.
Caribbean Flamingo
Found - Caribbean mudflats
Threats - Habitat threatened
At the Zoo - The flamingos get their pink colour from their food. In the wild, it comes from the skeletons of tiny shrimps which they filter from the water. In the Zoo, they have a special diet, which helps to keep their colour
Did you know? - All flamingos have a specially designed beak which filters out their food from the water.
White Stork
Found - Europe / Africa, edge of rivers and lakes
Threats - Habitat in danger
At the Zoo - They mix happily with other species in their paddock
Did you know? - White storks build nests, beaten only in size by those of the eagle.
Black Swan
Found - All kinds of shallow wetlands in Australia
Threats - Now a protected species but used to be hunted for its meat
At the Zoo - Found in the kangaroo paddock
Did you know? - The Black Swan is the national symbol of Australia.
Spoonbill
Found - African marshlands
Threats - Water pollution
At the Zoo - They feed using their spoon-like beaks to filter their food from the shallow pools
Did you know? - They dance and bow to each other to attract a mate.
