In the Parking Area

Silk Floss Tree (Chorisia speciosa)

Waterfall Near Entrance to the Zoo

In Front of the Waterfall - Near the Entrance

Zoo Miami

Zoo Miami

Plush-crested Jay (Cyanocorax chrysops) The Plush-crested Jay is found in central-southern South America in southwestern Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay, and northeastern Argentina, including southern regions of the Amazon Basin river systems, bordering the Pantanal. This is an elegant medium sized bird, dark plumaged with a cream-yellow breast; the bulky tail is also cream colored, top and underneath, for the lower half.

Zoo Miami

In front of the Flamingo Exhibit

Zoo Miami

Caribbean Flamingo (Phoenicopterus ruber ruber) Also called the American Flamingo, this species is the most brightly colored and largest of all flamingos. With their bright feathers and strongly hooked bills, flamingos are among the most easily recognized waterbirds. Their pink or reddish color comes from the rich sources of carotenoid pigments (like the pigments of carrots) in the algae and small crustaceans that the birds eat. The Caribbean Flamingos are the brightest, showing their true colors of red, pink, or orange on their legs, bills, and faces. They are a scarlet pink color overall and have black primary feathers. Their bill is downward bending at its midpoint. They have large bodies and flexible long necks topped with a small head. The flamingo's long legs and feet are bare, and their toes are webbed, which is good for wading. Young birds are mostly grey and do not develop their characteristic pink until after the first year. The sexes are similar in appearance.

White Ibis (Eudocimus albus) The White Ibis is one of the most numerous wading birds in Florida. In flight, the neck is outstretched; the flocks fly in strings, flapping and gliding and often soar in circles. The White Ibis is about 22-27 inches tall. White Ibis inhabit salt, brackish, and fresh marshes, rice fields, mangroves. They may forage in any kind of shallow water, commonly flying to feed in fresh water even in coastal regions. Foraging sites include marshes, mudflats, flooded pastures, lake edges, mangrove lagoons, and grassy fields. The White Ibis is highly sociable at all seasons, roosting and feeding in flocks, and nesting in large colonies, making it an excellent example of the colonial waterbird. These birds nest in huge colonies in fresh water marshes or along the ocean coast. Researchers have counted 60,000-80,000 individuals in one colony in the Everglades National Park, Florida! During the day, white ibis may fly up to 15 miles or more to find small crustaceans, fish, frogs, and aquatic insects to eat and to feed their young. White Ibis can be found along the coast of North Carolina to Florida and Texas.

Zoo Miami

Bengal Tiger (Panthera tigris) The tiger once ranged widely across Asia, from Turkey in the west to the eastern coast of Russia (Nowell and Jackson, 1996). Over the past 100 years tigers have disappeared from southwest and central Asia, from two Indonesian islands (Java and Bali) and from large areas of Southeast and Eastern Asia. Tigers have lost 93% of their historic range (Sanderson et al., 2006). Tigers are currently found in twelve Asian range states: Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Russia, Thailand and Viet Nam. They may still persist in North Korea, although there has been no recent confirmed evidence. It is the largest living member of the cat family and no two animals are the same; each Bengal Tiger has its own pattern of stripes. Around the year 1900, there were as many as 50,000 Bengal Tigers in India. But by the year 1972, there were only about 1,800 Bengal tigers left. Through an attempt to conserve the existence of the tiger, there are currently about 4,000 tigers remaining. Status: Endangered --> Status information found at The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species

Bengal Tiger (Panthera tigris)

Bengal Tiger (Panthera tigris)

Siamang (Symphalangus syndactylus) Siamang (SEE-uh-mang) belong to the family Hylobatidae, which includes all 11 gibbon (or lesser ape) species. It is the largest of the lesser apes. Siamangs are native to the island of Sumatra and the Malay Peninsula. Siamangs sing so loudly that it can be heard for up to 3 miles (4.8 km). To produce this loud call, Siamangs have a hairless, reddish-brown or gray throat (laryngeal) pouch which acts as a resonator to enhance the carrying of their call. When not in use, the pouch is hidden under their long, shaggy, jet-black fur. When inflated, the pouch is about the size of a Siamang's head, and amplifies its hooting and barking to ear-splitting levels. Usually involving the adult pair, the male and female sing different but coordinated parts; songs have a definite beginning, middle and end. Each elaborate duet begins slowly, then accelerates in speed. A song lasts about 18 seconds and is repeated for about 15 minutes. The Siamang is the largest of the lesser apes. Siamangs and gibbons are the only anthropoid apes that habitually walk erect like humans. In their treetop habitat, they will walk along a vine as if on a tightrope with their hands held high for balance. The Siamang is distinctive for two reasons. The first is that two fingers on each hand are fused together (hence the name "syndactylus"). The second is the large "gular sac" (found in the male of the species), which is a throat pouch that can be inflated to the size of its head, allowing the Siamang to make loud resonating calls or songs. This species is found in Indonesia (Barisan Mountains of west-central Sumatra), Malaysia (mountains of the Malay Peninsula south of the Perak River), and a small area of southern peninsular Thailand (Chivers 1974; Khan, 1970; O’Brien et al. 2003; Treesucon and Tantithadapitak 1997). Status: Endangered --> Status information found at The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species

Siamang (Symphalangus syndactylus)

Siamang (Symphalangus syndactylus)

Sumatran Orangutan (Pongo abelii) Orangutans are large, red-haired animals with four hands. They are members of a group called the Great Apes. Unlike monkeys, they have no tail. The word orangutan translates as "Person of the Forest" in Malay and Bahasa Indonesian. Orangutans are very similar to humans. They share 96.4% of our genes. The Great Apes are humankind's closest living relatives. Pongo abelii is endemic to the island of Sumatra, Indonesia. It is generally restricted to the north of the island, north of the Batang Toru river on the west coast of North Sumatra province (Wich et al. 2003). The Sumatran Orangutan (Pongo abelii) differs genetically and physically from the Bornean Orangutan Pongo pygmaeus pygmaeus and the population is smaller. Orangutans breed more slowly than any other primate, with the female producing a baby on average only once every 7-8 years. This makes the population extra-vulnerable to loss and accelerates the decline in numbers. Status: Critically Endangered --> It is in grave danger of extinction. --> Status information found at The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species

Lowland Anoa (Bubalus depressicornis) Anoa, the smallest of all wild cattle, is a miniature water buffalo, a type of wild cattle, similar in appearance to a deer, weighing 150 - 300 kg (330 - 660 lbs.). It is a forest animal requiring dense vegetation. It lives in undisturbed forest and eats grass, herbs, leaves, fruit and marsh and aquatic plants. The anoa feeds in the morning and rests in the shade during the hottest parts of the day. One young is born at a time. Anoas live alone or in pairs, rather than herds, except when the cows are about to give birth. "Anoa" is the Celebes word for "buffalo." The Lowland Anoa is endemic to Indonesia, where it is found only on Sulawesi and Buton Island off the southeast coast, with no records of Anoas from other small neighbouring islands adjacent to Sulawesi (Burton et al. 2005), where it is found up to 1,000 m (G. Semiadi pers. comm. 2006). Status: Endangered --> Status information found at The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species

Inside the Aviary

Florida Softshell Turtle (Apalone ferox) [This species was formerly in the genus Trionyx.] The Florida Softshell Turtle is a species of softshell turtle native to the eastern United States, primarily in the State of Florida, but it also ranges to southern sections of South Carolina, Georgia, and Alabama. Florida softshell turtles are almost entirely aquatic, generally only emerging from the water to bask or to lay their eggs. They prefer still waters and can be found in ponds, streams, rivers, lakes and swamps. These turtles are usually shy around humans, but when they feel threatened they will bite with their strong jaws. Like all soft-shells they are very fast in water and on land. In captivity they have been known to live up to 30 years old, although in the wild their lifespans are shorter.

White-cheeked Bulbul (Pycnonotus leucogenys) aka Himalayan Bulbul The White-cheeked Bulbul lives in Himalaya, from northwestern India to southern Iran. It is not globally threatened. It is widespread and common.