FEATURE
this species are characterized by their bright red belly and yellow bill. The rest of their plumage has an iridescent green colour, with a golden cast to the head. Additionally, males carry special, elongated tail feathers. Females can easily be distinguished from males: their plumage is duller and less shimmering, their head and lower chest rather grey. There have been Golden-headed quetzals in Weltvogelpark Walsrode for a long time. Weltvogelpark is Germany’s only zoological facility that has this species on display and in the whole of Europe there are very few institutions that keep them. Moreover, they haven’t been bred in Europe yet. This makes it very difficult to create new couples, and for many years only females have been kept in Weltvogelpark Walsrode. In March 2012 however, a new male finally moved to our female Golden- headed Quetzal. This male came from Barcelona Zoo, where it was also kept without a partner. After the arrival and quarantine period, the male was moved to the female in a large, densely planted aviary with a waterfall in our tropical paradise hall. The birds were provided with a nest box made of a round, natural tree trunk that was filled to the edge with wood shavings. These shavings encourage
them to dig a tunnel and excavate their own nest, just like they would do in the wild. From the beginning, the pair got along
very well, and our zookeepers of the tropical department could observe both birds performing courtship behavior by the end of April. Shortly afterwards our female laid her first egg, but unfortunately this was found broken after a few days in the nest box, which is observable with the help of a small camera. At the end of May, the female laid a new egg, and this one was taken out of the nest and replaced by an artificial egg as a precautionary measure. Two days later a second egg was laid. Immediately after egg deposition, both eggs were transferred into an artificial incubator. After a short period of time it became clear that both eggs were sadly unfertilized. In mid-august however, the time had finally come: the first fertilized egg was developing in our incubator! On September the 4th 2012, after an incubation period of approximately 18 days, Europe’s first Golden-headed Quetzal finally hatched! Because the eggs were artificially incubated, our female had time to start laying eggs again. Two more eggs were laid in the beginning of October, and these were again artificially incubated. Soon it
There have been Golden-headed quetzals in Weltvogelpark Walsrode for a long time. Weltvogelpark is Germany’s only zoological facility that has this species on display and in the whole of Europe there are very few institutions that keep them. Moreover, they haven’t been bred in Europe yet. This makes it very difficult to create new couples, and for many years only females have been kept in Weltvogelpark Walsrode.
BIRD SCENE 09
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