At right is a listing, in alphabetical order by common name, of the birds at Lincoln Park Zoo.LPZ's birds are housed at the:
Click on the letters below to jump to that part of the bird list. | A-H | I-O | P-S | T-Z |What is a bird?Birds and only birds have feathers, which serve to conserve heat and enable most species to fly. They live almost anywhere--from tropical forests to frozen icepacks, from arid deserts to vast oceans. Some fly, others swim, some do both. Few do neither. Birds are distantly related to reptiles and a connecting link to their reptilian ancestors can sometimes be seen in their scaly legs. Unlike reptiles, however, birds are warm-blooded animals. Birds spend most of their time foraging for food. What do birds eat?
Where do birds build nests?Birds' nesting and breeding habits vary greatly. Some birds nest on the ground; others in trees and in the sides of cliffs. Others build communal nests with each couple having a separate space. Some lay eggs without nests and some will use the nests of other species.
Most birds are monogamous: that is, during the nesting cycle, mating takes place only between a single pair and the pair then shares the feeding and the care of the young. Swans and eagles are among the species that form life long pair bonds. Why do birds migrate?Bird migration has fascinated man for centuries, but exactly why birds migrate is still not known. Perhaps the most noted migration in literature and folklore is the arctic tern's annual 11,000-mile journey between its summer and winter homes. Each fall and spring the zoo waterfowl areas welcome a number of migratory birds, and provide bird watchers with glimpses of these energetic travelers. Above photos © James P. Rowan Photography |
Common Name | Scientific Name |
|---|---|---|
| African Jacana | Actophilornis africana | |
| African Pygmy Goose | Nettapus auritus | |
| American Avocet | Recurvirostra americana | |
| American Kestrel/Sparrowhawk | Falco sparverius (no subsp) | |
| Bald Eagle | Haliaeetus leucocephalus (no subsp) | |
| Bali/Rothschild's Mynah | Leucopsar rothschildi | |
| Barn Owl | Tyto alba | |
| Beautiful Fruit Dove | Ptilinopus pulchellus | |
| Black-crested Bulbul | Pycnonotus melanicterus | |
| Black-winged Stilt | Himantopus himantopus (no subsp) | |
| Blue-crowned Parrot | Loriculus galgulus | |
| Blyth's Hornbill | Aceros plicatus | |
| Cape Thick-knee | Burhinus capensis (unk subsp) | |
| Chestnut Munia | Lonchura malacca (no subsp) | |
| Chinstrap Penguin | Pygoscelis antarctica | |
| Cinereous Vulture | Aegypius monachus | |
| Common Barn Owl | Tyto alba (no subsp) | |
| Common Murre | Uria aalge | |
| Common Puffin | Fratercula arctica | |
| Common Screech Owl | Otus asio | |
| Crested Wood Partridge | Rollulus roulroul | |
| Crimson-backed Tanager | Ramphocelus dimidiatus | |
| Domestic Chicken | Gallus domesticus | |
| Domestic Duck | Anas platyrhynchos domesticus | |
| Emerald Starling | Lamprotornis iris | |
| Fairy Bluebird | Irena puella | |
| Great Grey Owl | Strix nebulosa (no subsp) | |
| Green-winged Pytilia | Pytilia melba | |
| Guam Rail | Rallus owstoni | |
| Hooded Vulture | Necrosyrtes monachus | |
| Inca Tern | Larosterna inca | |
| Indian Pygmy Goose | Nettapus coromandelianus coromande | |
| Jambu Fruit Dove | Ptilinopus jambu | |
| King Penguin | Aptenodytes patagonica patagonica | |
| Lesser Green Broadbill | Calyptomena viridis | |
| Long-eared Owl | Asio otus | |
| Marabou Stork | Leptoptilos crumeniferus | |
| Mauritius Pink Pigeon | Columba mayeri | |
| Merlin/Pigeon Hawk | Falco columbarius (no subsp) | |
| Micronesian Kingfisher | Halcyon cinnamomina cinnamomina | |
| Mute Swan | Cygnus olor | |
| Nicobar Pigeon | Caloenas nicobarica (no subsp) | |
| Northern Bald Eagle | Haliaeetus leucocephalus alascanus | |
| Orange Bishop | Euplectes orix franciscanus | |
| Orange-billed Sparrow | Arremon aurantiirostris | |
| Paradise Whydah | Vidua paradisaea | |
| Piping Plover | Charadrius melodus circumcinctus | |
| Razorbill | Alca torda | |
| Red Knot | Calidris canutus | |
| Red Lory | Eos bornea (no subsp) | |
| Red-legged Honeycreeper | Cyanerpes cyaneus | |
| Ringed Teal | Callonetta leucophyrs | |
| Rockhopper Penguin | Eudyptes chrysocome chrysocome | |
| Roseate Spoonbill | Ajaia ajaja | |
| Saw-whet Owl | Aegolius acadicus | |
| Secretary Bird | Sagittarius serpentarius | |
| Snowy Owl | Nyctea scandiaca | |
| Sunbittern | Eurypyga helias | |
| Toco Toucan | Ramphastos toco (no subsp) | |
| Tres Marias Yellow-crowned Amazon | Amazona ochrocephala tresmariae | |
| Trumpeter Swan | Cygnus cygnus buccinator | |
| Turkey Vulture | Cathartes aura (no subsp) | |
| Turquoise Tanager | Tangara mexicana | |
| Upland Sandpiper | Bartramia longicauda | |
| Variable Seedeater | Sporophila americana | |
| Viellot's Black Weaver | Ploceus nigerrimus | |
| Western Grey Parrot | Psittacus erithacus timneh | |
| Yellow-headed Amazon | Amazona ochrocephala (no subsp) | |
| Yellow-crowned Euphonia | Euphonia luteicapilla | |
| Yellow-throated Laughing Thrush | Garrulax galbanus |
Careful study of the birds' beaks will indicate their
diet: the small, delicate pointed beak of the thrush to catch insects; the
large, hooked beak of the eagle to eat small mammals and other prey; the
long, spatulate bill of the spoonbill for sifting small creatures from muddy
water; the tiny beak of the hummingbird to extract nectar from flowers.
Beaks are also used for preening and nest building. A few, such as storks,
use their beaks in courtship.