Bird swallowed by giant 'glory hole' reportedly lives to fly another day

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Honolulu Zoo reopens but is still searching for missing rare bird

By Star-Advertiser staff 

February 11, 2019

Updated February 11, 2019 5:55pm

One of the missing African ground hornbill birds is still on the loose. Martha, the 15-year-old female, returned to the zoo on Monday morning. Najuma, the 15-year-old male, remains at large.

The Honolulu Zoo in Waikiki reopened today at 11:15 a.m., city officials announced. The zoo closed Sunday at 11:35 a.m. due to falling branches.

Zoo officials, meanwhile, have captured one of two African ground hornbills that escaped from an enclosure at the zoo after a tree fell on it.

One of the hornbills is now within the zoo, according to officials, while the second one was recently sighted by a visitor at the Diamond Head visitor lookout, and described as heading up the mountain

Continued

UPDATE

1 of 2 endangered African birds that escaped from zoo during storm is recaptured

February 10, 2019 at 12:54 PM HST - Updated February 11 at 6:00 PM

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - Wanted: An endangered African ground hornbill named Najuma that escaped from the Honolulu Zoo over the weekend after a tree fell on its enclosure during strong winds.

Actually, two of the birds escaped, but one was recaptured Monday morning, lured back to its cage with food and its mate’s call.

The other bird is a 13-year-old male, zoo officials say, and is “very approachable.”

But please don’t approach it, they say. Instead, if you see it, call 911.

“The biggest fear is that we won’t retrieve him alive,” said Thomas Bojorquez, avian zookeeper at Honolulu Zoo.

In the hours after the escapes Sunday, one of the birds was reported to be heading towards the Ala Wai golf course, while the other was seen in Kapiolani Park — ironically perched on one of the century-old kiawe trees that was blown over earlier in the day.

Continued

UPDATE

Where is Najuma the elusive African ground hornbill? Good question.

On Monday, one of the birds was seen on a tree at Kapiolani Park.

By Dillon Ancheta | February 13, 2019 at 6:46 PM HST - Updated February 13 at 6:46 PM

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - Have you heard? The bird is the word.

It’s been four days since two exotic birds escaped the Honolulu Zoo.

One of the African ground hornbills has since returned, but the second one is still on the run.

Named Najuma, the bird’s jailbreak-like escape has kept zoo employees on edge over the last few days, and gripped the community in the ongoing bird saga.

Video of the attempted capture on Sunday has gone viral online (probably for reasons other than the actual bird sighting) — garnering more than 260,000 views.

Armed with nets and food, zoo employees tried to capture the bird at Kapiolani Park earlier in the week, but they were unsuccessful.

On Tuesday, Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell tweeted photos of the bird nonchalantly chillin’ on the edge of a Diamond Head ridge.

Read on 

Mystery surrounds Tangmere exotic bird sighting

This bird, which appears to be a violet turaco, was spotted in Tangmere.

SAM WILSON Email Published: 10:40 Monday 11 February 2019

If you took part in the RSPB’s Big Garden Birdwatch recently you may have seen starlings, blackbirds and pigeons in your garden but one Tangmere resident has had a more exotic visitor.

Ivor Harrison opened his curtains on Sunday (February 10) morning and found himself face to beak with what appears to be a violet turaco. The violet turaco is native to West Africa and lives on a fruit-based diet. There have been examples of turacos being spotted living in the wild in Britain, most commonly the white-cheeked turaco, after escaping from captivity.

Read more at:

Have you seen missing bird of prey?

2 hrs ago

By Matty Airey

Missing goshawk

THE search is on to find a missing bird of prey.

The bird, a goshawk, flew out of its aviary on Saturday morning, in the Dursley area.

It is a rare and distinctive bird of prey and has bells attached, which anyone nearby will be able to hear.

Owner Robert Strange said: "They tend not to fly into the wind, but go with the wind direction instead, so I'm guessing he'll be around the lower Cam area, or Coaley, or Slimbridge.

"But it is the end of the season, so he's extremely fit and could have gone further. I don't think he'll cross the River Severn though.

"He's quite distinctive looking. He's grey, with a long tail - about 150 to 200 cms, so not like a buzzard, which are short-tailed.

"His shape is the same as a sparrow hawk, only larger.

"The sound of the bells will be the biggest giveaway. You should be able to hear them from 150 to 250 yards away.

"As soon as we get a location, it'll be easy getting him down.

"Any information would be greatly appreciated."

Call Robert on 07814 764138.

Source

Rhea, there and everywhere! Five-foot bird is STILL on the loose six weeks after escaping from owner's home

Chris the rhea escaped from a sanctuary near Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire

The flightless bird has been sighted several times and caused traffic chaos  

Attempts to recapture him have been likened to scenes in comedy film Hot Fuzz

By GLEN KEOGH AND GEORGE ODLING FOR THE DAILY MAIL

PUBLISHED: 22:01, 13 January 2019 | UPDATED: 01:03, 14 January 2019

Police have a good description of their suspect – around 5ft, a good sprinter and packing a hefty kung-fu kick.

But hapless officers are being given the runaround. Their quarry, Chris the escaped rhea, has managed to stay out of custody for six weeks.

The flightless bird, distantly related to ostriches and emus, escaped from a private sanctuary in Sonning Common, near Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire. He has been sighted several times, including on one surprised resident’s driveway, while a video shows him causing traffic chaos.

Attempts to recapture Chris, who can run at 40mph, have been likened to scenes in the comedy film Hot Fuzz, where police try to catch a renegade swan. 

Continued 

Falcon missing after flying the nest from her Colchester home

11th January

By Robbie Bryson 

A majestic bird of prey and much-loved family pet has escaped from its quiet suburban home and won’t come back.

Comet, a three-year-old gyr-saker falcon, flew the nest from her home in Carus Crescent in Highwoods, Colchester, on Saturday afternoon.

Despite spending hours walking the streets and knocking on doors, her owners, experienced falconer Jay Poulter and his wife, Emma, have so far been unable to find the bird.

Mrs Poulter said: “She has not been very well over Christmas and the vets advised us to keep her inside overnight.

“We were getting her out of her aviary to bring her inside.

“She was tied on my husband’s gloves by a leash, but it came lose and she flew away.

“Jay instantly ran across the estate looking for her.

“We were out knocking on doors from around 4.30pm until 8.30pm.

“Then first thing on Sunday we were out again looking for her.

“She could be anywhere and she is probably a bit disorientated because she is not used to flying around houses and near people.”

After seeing a Facebook post about the missing animal, several eagle-eyed neighbours have contacted the family believing to have spotted Comet in Highwoods Country Park.

One resident even believes the disorientated bird may have landed on her conservatory roof.

Sightings have also been reported as far away as Boxted, Fingringhoe and Langham.

The family are becoming increasingly concerned for the rare bird, who is still recovering from her illness.

Mrs Poulter said: “She is a part of our family in the same way as a dog is to other people.

“My husband has spent the last two years training her and he has put a lot of time and love into it.

“We have some other birds of prey, two owls and a hawk, and so she is part of a pack.

“As she is ill she is not at her full strength and capacity which is worrying.”

A gyr-saker falcon is a hybrid between the saker falcon, which is native to the Middle East, and the largest type of falcon the gyr, which can be found in North America, Europe and Asia.

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China zoo still searching for two rare cranes on the loose

Source:Global Times Published: 2018/9/9 17:53:40

Two nationally protected cranes have escaped from a Southwest China zoo, and employees are still trying to lure them back.

A threatened species and among the world's rarest, the red-crowned crane is among the tallest, standing around 1.5 meters with a wingspan of up to 2.5 meters.   

A group of three of the birds first flew the coop on Wednesday during a flight exercise that involved whistled commands from the ground at Guizhou Forest Wildlife Zoo.

Zookeeper Zhang Jing said the birds didn't respond to his whistled signal to return and kept flying for around 30 minutes before disappearing from sight.  

So far only one of the birds was found in a nearby village.

The zoo has since extended its search for the nationally protected birds to cover a 30-kilometer radius. 

Continued 

Exotic birds loose in county after naughty goat broke door lock

27th August

A NAUGHTY goat ‘butting’ a door lock led to the accidental release of more than 30 exotic Cockatiels and budgies, many of which are still on the loose in Pembrokeshire and Ceredigion.

Udupi, the boisterous billy, bashed an internal door to an aviary owned by Vicky Richards Barton, of Cardigan, last Wednesday, August 22.

The rampaging ruminant’s door destruction saw Vicky’s much-loved flock take to the skies some time between 8pm and 10pm.

While some eight birds have already made their way home, Vicky, of Tenby Road, is appealing for help in recovering the rest of her feathered friends.

There have been sightings of the missing 25-plus birds as far afield as St Dogmaels, Llechryd, Cilgerran, Newcastle Emlyn, Cenarth, Haverfordwest, and even Carmarthen.

Read on  

Bird of prey on the loose in Co Armagh

The PSNI has issued an appeal for help identifying a bird of prey on the loose in Co Armagh.

Police received a call from a concerned member of the public that a bird of prey had appeared in her field.

"It has a leather strap on its leg and may belong to someone," a PSNI spokesperson said. 

"Any info on this birdie, call 101 ref 1557 05/07/2018."

Belfast Telegraph Digital

Source

Flamingo Spotted in Texas, 13 Years After Escaping Kansas Zoo

By Kimberly Hickok, Staff Writer | June 28, 2018 10:06am ET

It's incredibly rare to catch a glimpse of an African flamingo on the Texas coast, but if you do, it's definitely Flamingo No. 492. The conspicuous pink bird has been on the run from the Sedgwick County Zoo in Wichita, Kansas, since escaping 13 years ago. Sightings of No. 492 have been rare, but the fugitive flamingo was spotted last month in Lavaca Bay, Texas, about halfway between Houston and Corpus Christi,The New York Times reported.

No. 492, along with 39 other flamingos, was sent to the Sedgwick County Zoo from Tanzania in 2003. Typically, zoos prevent flamingos from flying by amputating a part of their wing when they are newborns — a part that hasn't yet developed sensation. But the flamingos from Tanzania arrived at the zoo as adults, so curators there decided to clip the birds' feathers instead, as a more humane solution to keep the animals grounded, the Times reported. [In Photos: On the Lam: 10 of the Greatest Animal Escape Artists]

Continued  

Escaped zoo bird caught in West Lothian industrial estate

9 April 2018

An African sacred ibis has been caught after being seen wandering around a West Lothian car park following its escape from a zoo.

The bird, which got out of its cage at the Five Sisters Zoo in West Calder, was caught six miles away in Whitehill Industrial Estate in Bathgate.

The zoo confirmed the black and white bird escaped on Friday morning.

A zoo keeper managed to catch the bird, which was hiding in a bush, after workers told them where it was.

David Wood, 60, who works at microchip company Innovative Ion Plant at the industrial estate, told the BBC Scotland news website how he had a "double-take" when he saw the bird walking past his window on Monday.

He said: "At first I thought maybe it had been blown off course, but then I realised it must have come from the zoo.

"I don't want to attempt to catch it because it has a very pointy beak.

"Seagulls were swooping at it this morning to protect their patch but luckily it's still ok."

Read on  

Rare exotic birds missing in Dublin after aviary damaged during heavy snowfall

Rachel Farrell

March 4 2018 3:12 PM

Rare exotic birds are on the loose around Dublin after the roof of Marlay Park aviary fell in following heavy snowfall during Storm Emma.

Cockatiels, budgies and colourful kakariki are just some of the birds that escaped from the aviary in the south Dublin park.

Aviary keeper Desmond King manages the aviary on a voluntary basis and described the incident as a “real pity”.

“I set up the aviary about three to four years ago voluntarily. I bought the birds voluntarily at the start. I had my own aviary at home and got in touch with the council for help with setting one up in Marlay Park.

Continued  

GET ME OUTTA RHEA

6ft ostrich-like bird at large in Devon has locals in a flap after menacing kids and horses

The 6ft South American fugitive is accused of ambushing horse-riding youngsters as its owner is said to have given up trying to catch it

By Alex West

23rd February 2018, 2:52 am

Updated: 23rd February 2018, 1:41 pm

AN escaped ostrich-like bird has got locals spitting feathers after menacing drivers and kids.

The 6ft South American rhea, which can run at 40mph, has been a fugitive for weeks.

The 6ft rha bird has been spotted in fields near the A3052 / Staffords Cross near Seaton, East Devon

Its owner is said to have given up trying to catch it. Mums are furious because it keeps ambushing youngsters when they go horse-riding. Jessica Youens-Stunell, 39, said in Seaton, Devon: “My children and horses have been lucky they weren’t injured.”

She said the bird left her horses petrified.

Continued 

A Falklands' Caracara escapes from London Zoo and spends ten days on the loose

Friday, January 19th 2018 - 09:18 UTC

The Striated Caracara is found in the Falklands, where the species has a reputation for bold and mischievous behaviour, and are referred to as “Johnny Rooks”. (Pic A. Hansen)

A powerful bird of prey native to the Falkland Islands was captured on Wednesday after escaping from London Zoo and spending 10 days on the loose. There were repeated sightings of the two-foot tall raptor, called a Striated Caracara, in Camden this week, with one report that it was seen “ripping into a whole cooked chicken”.

 Zookeepers were able to capture the bird after being tipped off that it was perched in a tree two miles away in Kilburn Grange Park.

The species are primarily scavengers, but the RSPB (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds) said they will also attack smaller birds or animals if “a weak, defenceless target arose”.

They are most commonly found on the disputed remote and windswept Falkland Islands, where the species has a reputation for bold and mischievous behaviour, and are referred to as “Johnny Rooks”.

A spokesman said that that the male bird, called Louie, was “well equipped for surviving in the urban environment,” adding: “As a meat-eating forager he clearly found plenty of scraps to dine on during his 10-day escapade.

Staff at the zoo were said to have been carrying out daily searches and “tracking him on his travels around north London” since escaping on January 6 during a “routine flying demonstration”. They were pictured attempting to recapture the bird in the zoo carpark that day and told passersby that the bird had been chased off by a group of crows.

Ornithologists describe them as intelligent and adaptable birds that can dig out prey from burrows and also hunt at speeds of up to 60 miles an hour.

When botanist Charles Darwin, the father of evolutionary biology, encountered the birds on a visit to the Falklands in the 1830s, he was said to have been struck by their tameness, inquisitive behaviour and opportunistic feeding habits.

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Rare bird named Wendy is rescued after two-week escapade

By WMNAGreenwood | Posted: April 09, 2017

By Herald Reporter

A rare bird of prey which escaped from Dartmoor Zoo is now safely settling into a new home after escaping during a training session.

Wendy, the nine-year-old striated caracara, gave keepers the slip almost two weeks ago at Dartmoor Zoo.

Falconer David Buncle, Wendy’s handler, thinks she was disorientated by high winds during her routine training session.

“It seems the weather conditions were enough to temporarily confuse her,” says Buncle. “But coupled with a generally curious disposition and a full belly it seems she decided to make the most of it.”

During her 14 day adventure, Herald readers kept David informed of her whereabouts with various sightings in nearby Sparkwell, Venton and later in Ugborough some 10 miles away where she was eventually recovered.

After being spotted by a member of the public, local bird expert Steve Hopper was called in. With a little effort Wendy was eventually persuaded to jump into the back of his vehicle for a safe drive back to David.

 
Read more at

Red squirrel-hunting hawk sought on Isle of Wight

9 December 2016

An escaped bird of prey which is believed to have killed red squirrels on the Isle of Wight is frustrating efforts to capture it.

The red tailed hawk escaped from a private owner and is known to have killed at least two of the island's protected population of red squirrels.

Falconer Steven Hain said "everything possible" had been tried in an effort to catch it.

He said traps had been tried but shooting it would be a "last resort".

The hawk, native to the US where it is also known as a chicken hawk, was first spotted in the Seaview area in the late spring.

"We've been going for several months, we've tried all sorts. Bait, traps, literally running after it through the countryside to try and tire it out. We've tried everything possible.

"It doesn't belong here. Our nature isn't designed to cope with the red tailed hawk.

"I don't want to see any bird of prey shot, that would be a last resort."

He appealed for help from local residents in reporting sightings.

Hampshire Constabulary dismissed press reports that armed police were on stand-by to shoot the bird.

A spokesman said officers had helped trace the owner but would not be involved in any operation to shoot it.

The island is a rare stronghold of the red squirrel as the Solent has acted as barrier preventing grey squirrels overrunning them.

Source