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Category: Birds

Taveta Golden Weaver

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Taveta Golden Weaver

(Ploceus castaneiceps)

Seneca Park Zoo is the home to a flock of Taveta golden weavers. They can be found in the large aviary inside the Animals of the Savanna building.

Animal Facts

Males are a vibrant yellow color with green wings, whereas females are a more muted olive-yellow color.
Taveta weavers are classified as songbirds, however their “song” is loud and harsh.
Female weavers choose their mate based on the male’s ability to weave an intricate nest.

Diet

Taveta golden weavers are omnivores. They primarily feed on seeds, but can also eat grains, grasses and insects.
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Status in The Wild

  • Least Concern

International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List status

These weavers are found in parts of Kenya and Tanzania. They inhabit a variety of habitats, including forests, wetlands, and savannas.

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Congo African Grey Parrot (Ambassador Animal)

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Congo African Grey Parrot

(Psittacus erithacus erithacus)

The Zoo is home to one African grey parrot named Minnow. He was born in 1995 and came to the Zoo in 1998. African grey parrots are well known for their ability to mimic sounds and words, and Minnow is no exception. Minnow is a part of the program animal collection.

Animal Facts

Greys are extremely social and will form a communal nesting area of several hundred. They have been observed roosting in tall palms in groups ranging from several hundred to thousands of birds.
African greys have a powder produced by feather on their flanks that helps to clean and protect their feathers. This powder also makes their feathers waterproof, a necessary adaptation for surviving in a tropical climate.
African greys can commonly be seen in the wild on the ground at waterholes where they ingest mud and minerals. This is thought to be an adaptation to compensate for increased pesticide and toxin levels in their food – the soil eaten absorbs the toxins that they would otherwise ingest.

Diet

The diet of the African grey parrot consists of the fruits, seeds, nuts and berries of several native rainforest species, including the flesh of oil-palm trees. Its powerful bill can crush most seeds and nuts.

Status in The Wild

  • Near Threatened

International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List status

The Congo African grey is found in Equatorial Africa, ranging from Angola to The Ivory Coast, inland from Kenya to Tanzania. It inhabits rainforests, cultivated land, mangroves, wooded savannas and gardens.

Unfortunately, the African grey parrot has become popular in the pet trade due to its attractive colors and unbelievable talent to mimic sounds and words. It is in the top three most commonly traded birds. Due to such a large demand, baby greys are stolen from the wild to supply the demand. The U.S. Wild Bird Act forbids the commercial import of any bird listed by CITES which includes most parrots — endangered or threatened.

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African Penguin

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African Penguin

(Spheniscuc demersus)

Seneca Park Zoo is home to a thriving colony of African penguins.  Thirty adult penguins currently call our zoo home. Their habitat is outdoors along the Rocky Coasts.

Animal Facts

The Zoo has hatched over 100 penguins, most of which have been sent to other AZA-accredited zoos and aquariums.
African penguins have up to 70 feathers per square inch. These feathers are stiff and overlap in layers, trapping air against their skin. This makes their feathers both windproof and waterproof.
Seneca Park Zoo partners with SANCCOB, the largest volunteer-based wildlife organization in the world. Volunteers rehabilitate thousands of coastal birds every year that fall victim to oil spills or are orphaned due to lack of fish.
They will generally pair bond for life.
These penguins molt once a year; molt takes 20 days.

Diet

African penguins are carnivorous, eating fish and crustaceans. They rely heavily on sardines and anchovies, which are being overfished by humans.
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Status in The Wild

  • Endangered

International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List status

African penguins live in large colonies along the coast of southern Africa, and prefer water temperatures between 40°F and 70°F. They use their own excrement, called guano, to build nests under bushes and rocks.

The biggest threats to African penguins are rising sea temperatures, overfishing, and oil spills.

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Rochester, NY 14621

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