Bendigo is already warming up to fellow aviary residents!
We’re going “koo-koo” for our newest aviary resident! Bendigo, a five-year-old male laughing kookaburra, came to us in early September from NEW Zoo & Adventure Park in Wisconsin as part of a breeding recommendation by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Species Survival Plan.
Bendigo was named after a city in Victoria, Australia that was a hotspot during the Victorian gold rush of the mid-19th century.
Bendigo is settling into his new habitat in the Cockatiel Creek aviary and has already warmed up to 16-year-old female kookaburra Baz. Keepers have heard Bendigo and Baz vocalizing to each other, and they’ve even spotted Bendigo feeding her—a sign that they have bonded quickly!
Laughing kookaburras are native to Australia and grow to weigh less than a pound into adulthood. These monogamous, territorial birds are not considered threatened; however, the species is vulnerable to habitat loss.
On your next visit to the Zoo, stop by the aviary to see if you can spot Bendigo!