American White Pelican

Family Pelecanidae, Pelecanus erythrorhynchos

This is a large, white bird with black feathers on their wings. They eat fish, which they catch by swimming and scooping water into their large pouches. Then they close the pouch, squeezing out the water and leaving a tasty fish dinner behind. They can be found mostly inland, on ponds and lakes.

Name: Scoop

Sex: unknown

Hatched: he was banded that year, yet when he was rescued the numbers were completely worn off of his band.

Why is the bird here? He was spotted twice on a pond before he was finally brought in. He had suffered a badly broken wing, but had survived well enough on the water that the bone had healed in the new position. His wing had to be amputated, but he is now a happy, healthy resident of the Sanctuary. He was given his name by Randi Naughton, a local news anchor, who was partially responsible for his rescue.

Personality: He is a favorite for his bold yet shy approach to the world. He is very curious about his surroundings but always hesitant to step out of his familiar zone.

White Naped Raven

also known as White-necked Raven

Family Corvidae, Corvus albicollis

This hawk-sized bird is 20 inches tall with a 3 foot wingspan. They are possibly the most intelligent birds, enabling them to solve problems and live up to their names (ie Mischief). In non-breeding season, they form flocks of up to 150 birds. A group of ravens is known as an "unkindness," a "constable," or a "conspiracy." In London, it is believed to be a very bad sign if all the ravens leave the Tower of London.

Name: Lenore

Sex: Female

Hatched: 2001

Personality: She is one of our smartest birds. She knows how to recycle and collect donations.

Name: Mischief

Sex: Female

Hatched: Spring 2001

Why is the bird here? Bred for education. Same clutch as Lenore.

Personality: She is a very sweet raven, but of course capable of living up to her name!

Name: Hugnin (pronounced Hew-nin)

Sex: unknown

Hatched: 3-7-2001

Weight: 2-4.0

Why is the bird here? Bred for education at Natural Encounters. Hugnin was named from a Norse legend about the god Odin sending his two ravens, Hugnin and Munnin into the world to collect information for him each day.

Personality: Very eager to see new things and learn new games. Takes a few days to get used to new things, but adjusts completely. Can be very insistent. Loves to listen to fish crows and does an excellent impression of them.

What does this bird do in the show: recycles, does the omnivore routine, says hello on cue and more to himself, can complete a puzzle with ten shapes in five minutes.

Name: Little Guy

Sex: unknown

Hatched: 2003

Weight: 2 lb, 5.6 oz

Why is the bird here? Bred at Natural Encounters in Florida, raised at WBS for educational programs.

Personality: He is just beginning to say words and phrases like "Hello," and "Hi Guy." He likes to play catch with his jingle balls.

What does this bird do in the show: At the end of the show, he flies from the gate to the donation box with a bill in his mouth and puts it in. Then he accepts donations on stage from the audience, and puts them in the box by himself.

African Pied Crow

Family Corvidae, Corvus albus

This crow is about the same size as our American Crow, but their black and white coloring makes them distinct. The species has been made famous by a series of window cleaning commercials. They can learn to mimic up to 100 human words and 5 phrases.

Name: Cherry

Sex: Female

Hatched: 1995

Weight: 1 lb, 1.6 oz

Why is the bird here? Cherry was raised at WBS for educational purposes.

Personality: She can say hello, growl, beg and knock on cue. She loves to play a game with her own saliva on her water bowl.

What does this bird do in the show: Recycles with the audience members (paper, plastic and aluminum items.)

Name: Othello

Sex: Male

Hatched: March 1997

Weight: 1 lb, 5 oz

Why is the bird here? Bred for education

Personality: Can say "Hi handsome" "Hello" "Hi OT" and "Go to your perch." He is a very sweet crow who likes to interact with people. He can do a dollar bill trick and he can also recycle.

Name: Einstein

Sex: unknown, probable female

Hatched: unknown, pre 2001

Weight: 1 lb, 1.2 oz

Why is the bird here? Bred for education.

Personality: Very sweet and smart. Says hello and makes a knocking sound. She's great at recycling.

White Stork

Family Ciconiidae, Ciconia ciconia

They are almost 4 feet tall, with bright orange legs and a reddish bill. They are native to parts of Africa, Europe and western Asia. They use their long legs as they wade in shallow water waiting to catch frogs, fish and small invertebrates. As it flies, its neck and legs are both extended.

Name: Gibralter

Sex: Male

Hatched: unknown, aquired 3/27/2000

Weight: 7 lb, 5 oz

Personality: Shy, doesn't share territory well, but is easygoing around humans. He loves to eat fish.

Abdim's Stork

Family Ciconiidae, Ciconia abdimii

This small stork stands about 2 1/2 feet tall, with a 4 to 5 inch long bill. These wading birds breed north of the equator in sub-Saharan Africa, but they spend the rest of the year in east and south Africa. They are protected from hunting by superstition that they are "bringers of rain."

Name: Otis and Elmo

Red legged Seriema

Family Cariamidae, Cariama cristata

This mostly terrestrial bird stands about 30 inches long, named for their long reddish legs. Their other striking feature is a crest of stiff feathers at the base of the bill, between the eyes. They eat small reptiles and mammals, including snakes. They are native to eastern South America. They fly very little but perch high on termite mounds to sing and look for food. Their loud song can be heard from miles away! They are speedy runners, and have recorded running as fast as 70 km/hr.

Name: Locust

Sex: Male

Hatched: 9/4/1993

Weight: 4 lb, 6 oz

Why is the bird here? Bred for education

Personality: Very sweet, not shy at all.

What does this bird do in the show? He takes a rubber snake and SLAMS it to the ground. This mimics a natural hunting technique.

African Southern Ground Hornbill

Family Bucerotidae, Bucorvus leadbeateri

At almost 4 feet long, this large prehistoric-looking bird is amazing to see. The male's bare skin is orange, while the female's is blue, and immature birds have yellow on their throat patches. They have a loud booming oomph call. They eat lizards, insects, snakes, and small mammals. This terrestrial species is the only hornbill that does not wall up the female in her nest.

Name: Niles

Sex: Male

Hatched: 5/5/1998

Weight: 7-8 lbs

Why is the bird here? Born at Busch Gardens, Tampa and raised for education.

Personality: He is very playful and likes bright colors, loves to pound on things. He likes to steal "prizes" and then parade around with them!

Bantam Cochin Chicken

Family Phasianidae, Gallus domesticus

These little chickens are a delight. Nicknamed "featherfeet" for the feathers on their toes, they are bred for shows and for their eggs. They are a foot tall and they come in 14 different colors! The chicken was one of the first domestic animals to be mentioned in recorded history. It is referred to in Chinese documents, Babylonian carvings, and in Greek history. They were first exported from China to and North America in the mid-19th century under the name Chinese Shanghai.

Name: Dumpling

Sex: Female

Hatched: October, 1995

Weight: 2.5 lb

Why is the bird here? Bred at WBS for educational purposes.

Personality: Very sweet chicken, she loves mealworm and cricket treats. After a 5 year hiatus, she began laying eggs again in winter 2003 and lays every 3 days.

What does this bird do in the show: She is a teaser bird who lets the children pet her. She also runs across stage "accidently" as a joke during each show.

Loggerhead Shrike Family

Laniidae, Lanius ludovicianus

Shrikes are predator songbirds. They are best known for their technique of catching food such as crickets and storing them or killing them on thorns or barbed-wire fences. They perch in the open to watch for available prey and mostly eat bugs and small vertebrates.

Name: Vlad

Sex: Male

Hatched: Acquired 1997, unknown hatched date

Personality: Gets his name from Vlad the Impaler, since loggerhead shrikes impale their food on sharp branches. He has sustained a broken wing and would not be able to survive in the wild. He lives happily at the World Bird Sanctuary's nature park.