This morning, we enjoyed the Philadelphia Zoo and one of highlights of our visit was the Lory Feeding! It costs $3 for a tiny cup of nectar, you go in a small group into the enclosure, and the birds drink right out of the little cup. I do wish each cup had a little more in it, but I am sure they limit the amount in each cup because the birds get fed little sips from the visitors all day long.
The birds' feathers are absolutely beautiful! And they are very active. They have their own personalities and the zookeeper who gave us a short tour had a unique name for each one. The names included Batman, Ruffles, Blue, Red, Purple, and Yellow. This one in the picture was called Ursula. She followed me along the branch after drinking all my nectar and I think she was hoping for more!
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| Public Domain Picture |
I noticed their tongues looked a little interesting so I looked it up. They have tiny brush-like structures on their tongues. The surface area on the papillae allow the bird's tongue to better collect nectar and pollen. This is a great example to bring up when teaching how surface area in biology is so important!
If you ever get to go to the Philadelphia Zoo, I recommend buying the nectar! And if you are on the other side of the world, you get an even more amazing experience in Jurong Bird Park in Singapore! This truly was one of my favorite memories from our trips overseas. Check it out here!
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Fascinating - I had no idea! Thanks for sharing :-)
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment. I do love these birds! So fun to watch!
DeleteI love the creativity and thoughtfulness of how animals were designed or have adapted. So cool! Lisa from Created for Learning
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