Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
Here we are at Belfast zoo standing watching outside various bird enclosures. This is just a selection of the various birds we saw. -
Sacred Ibis
The African sacred ibis is a species of ibis.it is a wading bird native to much of Africa, as well as small parts of Iraq, Iran and Kuwait. It is especially known for its role in Ancient Egyptian religion, where it was linked to the god Thoth. The species is currently gone from Egypt.
An adult individual is 68 cm (27 in) long with all-white body plumage apart from dark plumes on the rump. Wingspan is 112 to 124 cm (44 to 49 in) and body weight 1.35 to 1.5 kg (3.0 to 3.3 lb).
The bald head and neck, thick curved bill and legs are black. The white wings show a black rear border in flight. The eyes are brown with a dark red orbital ring. This bird is usually silent, but occasionally makes puppy-like yelping noises, unlike its vocal relative, the hadada ibis.
Laughing Kookaburra
The laughing kookaburra is a bird in the kingfisher subfamily Halcyoninae. It is a large kingfisher with a whitish head and a brown eye-stripe. The territorial call is a distinctive laugh that is often delivered by several birds at the same time.
The laughing kookaburra is native to eastern mainland Australia, but has also been introduced to parts of New Zealand, Tasmania, and Western Australia. It occupies dry eucalypt forest, woodland, city parks and gardens.
A predator of a wide variety of small animals, the laughing kookaburra typically waits perched on a branch until it sees an animal on the ground and then flies down and pounces on its prey. Its diet includes lizards, insects, worms, snakes, mice and it is known to take goldfish out of garden ponds.
The laughing kookaburra is the largest species of kingfisher, outsizing even the giant kingfisher in body mass. It is a stout, stocky bird 41–47 cm (16–19 in) in length, with a large head, prominent brown eyes, and a long and robust bill.
The name "laughing kookaburra" refers to the bird's "laugh", which it uses to establish territory among family groups. It can be heard at any time of day, but most frequently at dawn and dusk. This species possesses a tracheo-bronchial syrinx, which creates two sources of vibrations so it can produce two frequencies at the same time with multiple harmonics!
Tawny Frogmouth
The tawny frogmouth (Podargus strigoides) is a species of frogmouth native to the Australian mainland and Tasmania and found throughout. It is a big-headed, stocky bird often mistaken for an owl due to its nocturnal habits and similar colouring.
Tawny frogmouths are large, big-headed birds that can measure from 34 to 53 cm (13 to 21 in) long. Weights have been recorded up to 680 g (1.50 lb) in the wild.
The tawny frogmouth makes use of cryptic plumage and mimicry to camouflage itself. These birds strategically perch themselves on low tree branches during daylight hours, cleverly assimilating with the tree itself. Their silvery-grey plumage, renders them nearly invisible in the bright light of day.
When faced with threats, adult tawny frogmouths use a distinctive alarm call that serves as a signal to their chicks. This call instructs the young birds to maintain a state of silence and immobility ensuring their safety.
Von Der Decken's Hornbill
Von der Decken's hornbill (Tockus deckeni) is a hornbill found in East Africa, especially to the east of the East African Rift, from Ethiopia south to Tanzania. It is found mainly in thorn scrub and similar arid habitats. Jackson's hornbill is often treated as a subspecies of it. It was named after the German explorer Baron Karl Klaus von der Decken (1833–1865).
This species is a small hornbill with blackish upperparts and mainly whitish underparts and head. It has a long tail and a long curved bill which lacks a casque. Von der Decken's hornbill is omnivorous, taking insects, fruit and seeds. It feeds mainly on the ground and will form flocks outside the breeding season. In captivity, Von Der Decken's hornbill will readily eat papaya, cantaloupe, blueberries, bananas, and apples. Live food such as crickets and mealworms should also be offered daily. Small rodents are readily taken but should only be offered two or three times a week.
Chilean Flamingos
The Chilean flamingo is a species of large flamingo at a height of 110–130 cm (43–51 in) closely related to the American flamingo.
The species breeds in South America from Ecuador and Peru to Chile and Argentina and east to Brazil. Like all flamingos, it lays a single chalky-white egg on a mud mound.
These flamingos are mainly restricted to salt lagoons and soda lakes that are vulnerable to habitat loss and water pollution. The Chilean flamingo's bill is equipped with comb-like structures that enable it to filter food—mainly algae, plankton, crustaceans, insects, mollusks and other invertebrates—from the water of the coastal mudflats, estuaries, lagoons, and salt lakes.The species filter feeds with its head upside down in shallow water.
Here we are at Belfast zoo standing watching outside various bird enclosures. This is just a selection of the various birds we saw. -
Sacred Ibis
The African sacred ibis is a species of ibis.it is a wading bird native to much of Africa, as well as small parts of Iraq, Iran and Kuwait. It is especially known for its role in Ancient Egyptian religion, where it was linked to the god Thoth. The species is currently gone from Egypt.
An adult individual is 68 cm (27 in) long with all-white body plumage apart from dark plumes on the rump. Wingspan is 112 to 124 cm (44 to 49 in) and body weight 1.35 to 1.5 kg (3.0 to 3.3 lb).
The bald head and neck, thick curved bill and legs are black. The white wings show a black rear border in flight. The eyes are brown with a dark red orbital ring. This bird is usually silent, but occasionally makes puppy-like yelping noises, unlike its vocal relative, the hadada ibis.
Laughing Kookaburra
The laughing kookaburra is a bird in the kingfisher subfamily Halcyoninae. It is a large kingfisher with a whitish head and a brown eye-stripe. The territorial call is a distinctive laugh that is often delivered by several birds at the same time.
The laughing kookaburra is native to eastern mainland Australia, but has also been introduced to parts of New Zealand, Tasmania, and Western Australia. It occupies dry eucalypt forest, woodland, city parks and gardens.
A predator of a wide variety of small animals, the laughing kookaburra typically waits perched on a branch until it sees an animal on the ground and then flies down and pounces on its prey. Its diet includes lizards, insects, worms, snakes, mice and it is known to take goldfish out of garden ponds.
The laughing kookaburra is the largest species of kingfisher, outsizing even the giant kingfisher in body mass. It is a stout, stocky bird 41–47 cm (16–19 in) in length, with a large head, prominent brown eyes, and a long and robust bill.
The name "laughing kookaburra" refers to the bird's "laugh", which it uses to establish territory among family groups. It can be heard at any time of day, but most frequently at dawn and dusk. This species possesses a tracheo-bronchial syrinx, which creates two sources of vibrations so it can produce two frequencies at the same time with multiple harmonics!
Tawny Frogmouth
The tawny frogmouth (Podargus strigoides) is a species of frogmouth native to the Australian mainland and Tasmania and found throughout. It is a big-headed, stocky bird often mistaken for an owl due to its nocturnal habits and similar colouring.
Tawny frogmouths are large, big-headed birds that can measure from 34 to 53 cm (13 to 21 in) long. Weights have been recorded up to 680 g (1.50 lb) in the wild.
The tawny frogmouth makes use of cryptic plumage and mimicry to camouflage itself. These birds strategically perch themselves on low tree branches during daylight hours, cleverly assimilating with the tree itself. Their silvery-grey plumage, renders them nearly invisible in the bright light of day.
When faced with threats, adult tawny frogmouths use a distinctive alarm call that serves as a signal to their chicks. This call instructs the young birds to maintain a state of silence and immobility ensuring their safety.
Von Der Decken's Hornbill
Von der Decken's hornbill (Tockus deckeni) is a hornbill found in East Africa, especially to the east of the East African Rift, from Ethiopia south to Tanzania. It is found mainly in thorn scrub and similar arid habitats. Jackson's hornbill is often treated as a subspecies of it. It was named after the German explorer Baron Karl Klaus von der Decken (1833–1865).
This species is a small hornbill with blackish upperparts and mainly whitish underparts and head. It has a long tail and a long curved bill which lacks a casque. Von der Decken's hornbill is omnivorous, taking insects, fruit and seeds. It feeds mainly on the ground and will form flocks outside the breeding season. In captivity, Von Der Decken's hornbill will readily eat papaya, cantaloupe, blueberries, bananas, and apples. Live food such as crickets and mealworms should also be offered daily. Small rodents are readily taken but should only be offered two or three times a week.
Chilean Flamingos
The Chilean flamingo is a species of large flamingo at a height of 110–130 cm (43–51 in) closely related to the American flamingo.
The species breeds in South America from Ecuador and Peru to Chile and Argentina and east to Brazil. Like all flamingos, it lays a single chalky-white egg on a mud mound.
These flamingos are mainly restricted to salt lagoons and soda lakes that are vulnerable to habitat loss and water pollution. The Chilean flamingo's bill is equipped with comb-like structures that enable it to filter food—mainly algae, plankton, crustaceans, insects, mollusks and other invertebrates—from the water of the coastal mudflats, estuaries, lagoons, and salt lakes.The species filter feeds with its head upside down in shallow water.
