To mark the Year of the Rooster, the Hsinchu Zoo has launched a chicken-themed program to introduce different species of ground-feeding birds and educate the public about them.
The zoo is home to dozens of what Hsinchu Zoo director Yang Chia-min (楊家民) calls “wonder chickens” that are often either mistaken for other birds by the public or ignored.
“That is why we invite parents and their children to visit the zoo during the Lunar New Year holidays and take the educational ‘wonder chickens’ tour,” Yang said.
Photo: Hung Mei-hsiu, Taipei Times
Most people refer to all ground-feeding birds as “chickens,” even though they belong to the order Galliformes, which is characterized by a preference for running over flying, the zoo said.
Galliformes can be further categorized to eight families, such as the Phasianidae, to which blue peafowl, the national bird of India, belongs, the zoo said.
Visitors can also observe many rare species close-up, such as Swinhoe’s pheasant.
“We have set up information boards for all the ‘wonder chickens’ to improve children’s understanding of these creatures,” the zoo said.
Another highlight of the “wonder chickens” is Chrysolophus pictus, known as the golden pheasant, Yang said.
The bird has been chosen as the zoo’s Lunar New Year icon because its feathers are the auspicious color of red.
Hsinchu Mayor Lin Chih-chien (林智堅) said the zoo is to undergo a renovation program to upgrade the facilities, improve the animals’ wellbeing and enhance the zoo’s educational efforts.
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