Sirocco the night parrot has been at Zealandia for a month now and enjoying his contact with people immensely. I have taken about eight tours so and it has been a real pleasure to take people to see the green superstar. He is really funny in the way he reacts to his visitors. At first he can pretend he is not interested and once hid his head in his feed trough showing nothing but his tail feathers. He can never keep it up though. He is always drawn to his audience and likes to get up close to the perspex and have a good look, especially if children are present. Everything is on his terms. He spends the day in a large outside area sleeping, but once he wakes he waits by the viewing area door so that he can go on show and amuse his fans. People are always surprised by his size. He is a big bird by all accounts and can fluff his feathers to make himself look bigger. His face shows his intelligence as he interacts with the crowd and his keeper and you never know what he has in mind. Such a cool animal! No wonder he was voted the most loved endangered species in the world. His feathers are utterly gorgeous and mimic fern patterns. He is butter yellow around his face and under his wings. Stephen Fry said he looked distinctly old fashioned with his Victorian whiskers and it is an apt description. Most visitors are in awe of him and have loved the opportunity to see such a rare bird (there are only 124 left) in close proximity.
He is our official spokesbird for conservation.
This is his facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/siroccokakapo
And here is his twitter account: https://twitter.com/Spokesbird
A fun clip to watch: Sirocco arrives at Zealandia
So far all my tours have been in good weather considering it is winter, but this week is looking damper. I am doing two tours and am very much looking forward to escorting visitors to see him again. There is an added bonus of hearing kiwi call as we walk up the valley which is also a new experience for many people. As their cries pierce the night visitors get a real thrill. I explain they were once as rare as kakapo as they have all descended from just seven birds. They have done very well in Zealandia and we now have around 150. Breeding season is under way now so hopefully they will have another good season.
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| The little spotted kiwi or kiwi pukupuku |
Here is a clip of a Zealandia little spotted kiwi emerging from its burrow.
Kiwi pukupuku emerges from burrow
Lots of good Sirocco and Zealandia photos on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/zealandia/6044864336/lightbox/
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