Find out about the birds at Brooklands Zoo.
Diet: The natural diet consists of fruits, berries, seeds and leaf buds.
Home: Pockets of evergreen forest in the hills and mountains of India and China.
The Derbyan parakeet is also known as The Lord Derby's parakeet or Derby’s parakeet. The adult male and female are easily distinguished because they have different beak colours and slightly different coloured plumage. In the wild this species is suffering from deforestation; loss of nesting sites and poaching for the illegal wildlife/pet trade. Its status on the IUCN red list for endangered species is Near Threatened (NT).
Diet: Their wild diet consists of fruit, nuts, seeds, flowers and nectar.
Home: This parrot is native to Australia, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands.
They are found high up in the forest canopy where they congregate in large groups when roosting but generally feed alone or in small groups. These birds have extreme dimorphism (colour contrast) between sexes; the males are emerald green and red whereas the females are purple and red. Breeding season is July to February and the female will lay up to two eggs in a wood chip lined hollow in a tree. A male (not necessarily the father) will feed the female and chicks on the nest. Grown fledglings from previous clutches may also assist with chick care. Fledglings develop their adult colour at around 28 days old.
Diet: Grain, leaves and invertebrates.
Home: South-western China and Myanmar (Burma).
The Lady Amherst is a game bird and is closely related to the golden pheasant. The adult male is 100-120cm in length (its tail accounting for 80cm of the total length). It is unmistakable with its black and silver head, long grey tail and rump, and red, blue, white and yellow body plumage. The ‘cape’ can be raised in display. The male has a gruff call in the breeding season.
They roost in trees at night. While they can fly they prefer to run, but if startled they can suddenly burst upwards at great speed with a distinctive wing sound.
Diet: They are predators and hunt a wide variety of small animals including large insects, small mammals and birds.
Home: The ruru is New Zealand’s only surviving native owl and its calls are spiritually and culturally significant to Māori.
Ruru are small, compact owls with speckled dark brown feathers, a short tail and yellow feet. Females are larger than males. Head to tail, they measure about 29cm and weigh about 175g. Ruru are commonly found in forested areas throughout mainland New Zealand and on offshore Islands. They roost by day in dark forested areas with high overhead cover, on a branch, on top of a tree fern or within a cavity. They sometimes roost inside derelict buildings.
Diet: Lorikeets eat the nectar and pollen from flowers and have brush-like tips to their tongues to get the most out. Their love of fruit makes them a pest to Australian orchardists.
Home: A common sight throughout most of Australia, rainbow lorikeets can also be found on nearby South Pacific islands, such as the Solomon Islands, Indonesia and New Guinea.
Like all parrots, lorikeets have zygodactyl feet (two toes facing forward; and two facing backward). This makes it more difficult to move on the ground, but is excellent for hanging upside down to feed on flowers high up in trees.
Lorikeets are natural clowns and can often be seen playing with each other or by themselves.
Diet: Nuts, seeds of acacia/eucalypts, fruits (including berries) flowers, nectar, insects and insect larvae.
Home: Commonly found in Northern Australia and inland New South Wales and occasionally in the extreme south of Papua New Guinea.
Also known as crimson-winged parrots. They are usually found on forest edges, in mangrove swamps, acacia scrub or wooded savannah.
Diet: Eucalypt flowers, fruit, nectar and pollen.
Home: Native to south-east Australia.
Also known as a Barraband’s parakeet, parraband parakeet, scarlet-breasted parrot or green leek parrot. The superb parakeet is classified as a vulnerable species.
They roost in the forest canopy during hot parts of the day and forage both in the canopy and on the ground at dawn and in the evening. It is also the official emblem of New South Wales Boorowa Shire.
Diet: In the wild they feed on berries, seeds of acacia/eucalypts, blossoms, nectar and leaf buds.
Home: Australia.
The Australian king parrot is a medium sized parrot found naturally in Eastern Australia, ranging from Northern Queensland to Southern Victoria. They can be found in a range of habitats from forest areas to the more open spaces of parkland, they are usually found in pairs or small groups but can form larger groups of up to 30 or more around certain food sources.
Diet: Fruit, vegetables, flowers, berries, seeds and nuts.
Home: Native to open areas in India, and also found in Bangladesh, Burma, Nepal, Pakistan and Rameswaram Island. They are one of the only parrot species that have successfully adapted to living in urban areas and now inhabit a number of cities around the world. These colonies started from escaped pet birds and have proven themselves to be able to survive in the lower temperatures of Europe.
In the wild they are a distinct green but captive bred ring necks have multiple colour mutations including blue, yellow, grey, white, olive and violet. Males can be distinguished from females as when adult they have a red/black ring around their necks. They are very popular as aviary birds and as pets they can be individually taught to speak. In the wild they are a noisy parrot species with an unmistakable squawking call.
Diet: In the wild they feed on a variety of seeds, flowers, fruits and foliage of shrubs and trees.
Home: They are found only in the Central and Western arid zone of Australia.
One of Australia’s least known parrots and is rarely seen in the wild. They are classified as ‘Near Threatened' on the IUCN red list due to the small wild population size of 5,000-7,500 (estimate). Threats include introduced predators; cats and red foxes.
Diet: Little owls hunt a wide variety of small animals including large insects, small mammals and birds.
Home: Little owls were introduced to New Zealand from Germany between 1906 and 1910 with the intention they would limit populations of introduced finches and sparrows and thereby reduce crop damage. With the exception of one pair, which was released in Rotorua, all were released in the South Island. They are widespread in the drier open country of the eastern and northern South Island. In New Zealand they inhabit farmland and urban areas, often around farm buildings, small stands of open trees and hedgerows.
Little owls are small, flat-headed birds with streaked brown/white feathers, a short tail and long legs. They have pale grey facial discs each side of the face below the eyes, and white prominent bands above eyes and below the chin. Females are larger than males. Head to tail they measure around 21-23cm. Their average weight is around 180g.
