Recent News
Environmental science scholarships awarded by BZSMonday, August 30, 2021
A group of environmental science students have had their hard work rewarded with scholarships from the Bermuda Zoological Society.
BZS Awards Steinhoff Scholarship & Pye Award
Tuesday, August 24, 2021
The Bermuda Zoological Society [BZS] has awarded the BZS Steinhoff Scholarship to Caroline Alexander, Isabella Murdoch, and Treiana Zuill, while Freyja Kermode was the recipient of the Pye award.
Collapse of seagrass beds threatens survival of marine life
Tuesday, August 17, 2021
The Bermuda Turtle Project is anxious to get back out onto the water this month to get a clearer picture of sea turtle abundance. Due to the restrictions brought upon us all by the pandemic, we have been unable to do any in-water research for nearly two years and it would appear, from observations, there have been some drastic changes in our marine environment.
Seagrass beds have ‘completely collapsed’ in last four years
Tuesday, August 17, 2021
Many acres of seagrass beds crucial for the survival of sea turtles and other marine life have “completely collapsed” over the last four years, according to a leading environmental group.
BZS’s Kids on the Reef programme: an insider’s look
Wednesday, August 11, 2021
The Bermuda Zoological Society recently completed its ninth year of the Kids on the Reef programme, which is generously sponsored by AXA XL. This year, the BZS sent Megan Dodd, a university student studying strategic communications and marketing, out with a student group so that she could provide a first-hand account of what the students experience and learn over the two-day programme.
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Latest News
All the latest updates and news from the Bermuda Aquarium, Museum, and Zoo, one of Bermuda's leading visitor attractions!
By Owain Johnston-Barnes
Published Aug 9, 2013 at 8:00 am
A bird in the hand: Principal curator for the Bermuda Aquarium, Museum and Zoo, Dr Ian Walker
examines a Longtail that was found stranded on Horseshoe Beach last week. Dr. Walker (center)
is pictured with curator of BAMZ Patrick Talbot and Kamille Minors, a summer student who has
worked with BAMZ for many years and is studying to become a veterinary technician.
The Bermuda Aquarium Museum and Zoo (BAMZ) is calling for the public to look out for stranded Longtail chicks as the birds prepare for their first flights.
A spokeswoman said that during August and September Longtail chicks are sometimes found seemingly abandoned, either on land or floating in water, but often the “abandonment” is a normal part of their development.
“Nevertheless, the BAMZ would still encourage the public to bring in a bird they believe is abandoned so that technical staff can assess the animal,” the spokeswoman added.
Over the summer months, Longtail chicks go through a eight-to-ten-week fledging process, losing their down feathers and growing flight feathers.
During this process, Longtail parents feed the chicks until they are ‘supersized’. While an adult Longtail typically weighs between 350g and 400g, the fledglings can weigh as much as 600g.
“When the chicks are ready to leave the nest they stop eating, which is a signal to the parents to stop feeding,” she said.
“Hatching and fledging in a hole in a cliff restricts the young bird’s ability to exercise its wings and take practice flights as woodland birds or those that nest in the open might do. Therefore, a Longtail chick’s first flight presents an almost ‘do or die’ scenario for the chick.
“It is at this point the public sometimes bring in chicks because they think they have been abandoned. However, the chick is actually slowly losing weight and building up courage to fly. This process can take over a week, hence the seeming abandonment.
“During the summer boating season more people get out on the water and come across Longtails they believe are in trouble. So far this year [BAMZ] have received six Longtails — three adults and three chicks.”
Anyone who finds a Longtail (adult or chick) injured or compromised in some way is asked to contact BAMZ at 293-2727.