KEY WEST WILDLIFE CENTER
A GUIDE TO THE AVIARY
Key West Wildlife Center Aviary
All wild birds on display have permanent disabilities that prohibit their release into the wild. They all have unique stories as to how they arrived and the Center, and the various injuries they have sustained. All still possess a great quality of life and receive the best possible diet, husbandry and veterinary care that we can provide.
“Chaco” is an adult male American Kestrel. He is the smallest member of the Falcon family. Chaco was hit by a car and suffered a fractured humerus (upper arm bone) which renders him flightless. He eats one mouse per day and enjoys peeking out from his tree and canopy to watch those around him.
Royal Terns: This pair each came to the center with wing injuries and cannot be released into the wild because of their flying incapacity. They are the second largest Tern and are fish eaters. Giving company to the Royal Tern couple, our one-legged adult Laughing Gull “Hoppy” arrived at the center very thin and lethargic, and had already lost his leg before arrival. In the wild many sea gulls can function normally with one leg. Hoppy also has a wing issue which would make his survival in the wild difficult.
Volunteer Liv was featured as "Citizen of the Day" in The Key West Citizen. Here she is holding one of our resident Pelicans, "Forrest". Forrest flew into a windshield when he was very young. He had a fractured hip as well as a permanent wing injury. Although he had many disabilities, he had a strong will to live. He was the first to the food bowl, and enjoyed swimming in the pool very much. Unfortunately, because of his injuries, his life was short, but he touched many. Rest in Peace Forrest, we miss you!
Great White Heron. This heron met an untimely match with fishing tackle when a hook entered through his mouth and out through one of his eyes! Thus he is blind in one eye and cannot successfully hunt in the wild. He is fully flighted and can be observed flying from perch to perch. The Great White Heron is thought to be a color morph of the Great Blue Heron, although they are sometimes referred to as a separate species. The white morph is unique to the Florida Keys and Caribbean. The Great White Heron differs from Great Blue Herons in bill morphology, head plume length, and in having a total lack of pigment in its plumage. In the wild they have a dietary range including fish, small reptiles, mammals and birds. Our Great White Heron eats a variety of fish.
“Bonnie” the Broad-Winged Hawk is an adult female who was brought to the Center in February of 2009. She had been hit by a car and suffered trauma to her skull and one of her eyes. We were not able to save her eye but are happy to give her a permanent home, as she is at quite a disadvantage for hunting and navigation in the wild. In the wild, broad- winged hawks eat a variety of foods, ranging from small mammals, to reptiles and small birds. In captivity Bonnie enjoys eating two mice per day. Most likely Bonnie was wintering here after making a long migration with large numbers of her hawks, referred to as “Kettles”.
Double Breasted Cormorant. We have two “angel wing” Cormorants on display. Both were born with defects in their wings in which part of the wing is flipped backwards (giving the appearance of an angel), thus hindering long flights in the wild. Cormorants are very curious birds. They feed on fish and are often seen diving an bobbing their heads in the ocean in search of food. Cormorants feathers are not waterproof so they need to spend some of their day drying their feathers after swimming by holding them open to dry in the sun.
Eastern Brown Pelicans. “Forrest” is our special Pelican. He has some difficulty getting around but has a lot of spunk and a great will to live! Forrest was struck by a windshield of a moving car and suffers from hip and wing injuries. Our more “normal” looking of the two Pelicans on display has a bullet lodged in one of his wings and two wing fractures, making it impossible for him to fly. The location of the fragment makes it inoperable but that doesn’t slow this guy down! He enjoys lounging poolside and both Pelicans enjoy eating a variety of fish. Both of our Pelicans on display are juveniles; they are mostly brown in color and have brown eyes whereas adult brown Pelicans have a white and yellow head and pale blue eyes.
Director Michelle holds a Brown Booby that was brought to the center off the Dry Tortugas. He was very thin and suffered from a respiratory infection. After several days of tasty fish and antibiotics, he was released back to the wild! Sunny Days charters escorted Michelle and the Booby back to the Tortugas for his release.
“Ozzie” the Osprey is a young adult male who came in with an injury to the hand and wrist portion of his wing. The hand portion of his wing had to be amputated, thus rendering him flightless. Ospreys are Raptors and their diet consists almost entirely of fish. They are amazing in the pursuit of fish and can visualize prey from 30-130 feet above the water, then swooping down to grab the fist with their tremendous talons. “Ozzie” eats one 10-12 inch per day, generally a grunt of snapper.
“Thelma & Louise” Herring Gulls. Each of these ladies have permanent injuries to their wings. One was rescued a few years ago in Marathon Key after landing on the helicopter pad at Fishermans Hospital. She had the right idea , just the wrong kind of hospital! She was rescued by the Marathon Bird Center and both birds were given to our Center to be put on exhibit with other seabirds. Herring gulls in the wild eat everything under the sun and are known scavengers. Fish, nuts, fruits, eggs and crustaceans are just a portion of their diet in the wild. Wild Herring Gulls have been seen using shells to drop on bird eggs to crack them before ingesting them, and have even been observed using bread as bait to lure in fish to catch. At the Center, Thelma & Louise eat a variety of fish as well as an occasional chicken egg omelet, which is their favorite treat!
Key West Rooster Snowball
Key West Gypsy Chickens. Key West Chickens were brought from Spain to Cuba in the 1600’s then on to Key West. Their population has exploded through the years onto the streets of the city. They are now part of the character of Key West similar to the six-toed cats. The Center assists the City of Key West in humanely trapping and re-locating excess and nuisance chickens. We escort them to a farm in northern Florida where they either live out their lives on the 500 acre free range property or they are adopted by people all over the country who have a desire for the Key West chickens. The roosters are well known to be great protectors of the flock and thus are desired by farmers for their defensive qualities.