Recent News
First Longtail release of the yearFriday, June 01, 2018
In the early morning of Monday, 28th May, Roma Hayward, Animal Care and Quarantine Officer, released our first rehabilitated longtail of the season.
Plein Air Society paints on Trunk Island
Friday, June 01, 2018
After meeting Dr. Ian Walker at a Bermuda Tourism Authority event, Rhona Emmerson was able to arrange for her group of artists - the Plein Air Society - to take a trip out to Trunk Island for a morning of painting on Sunday, 22nd April.
MSA students hold Toad-ally Terrific event
Thursday, May 24, 2018
Pupils from a convent school are helping Bermuda’s struggling toad population.
Video: Bridget The Sea Turtle’s Rehabilitation
Saturday, May 19, 2018
The Bermuda Tourism Authority has released a video highlighting the successful rehabilitation of a sea turtle named ‘Bridget’, with the video also providing tips on how to help if you find an injured turtle.
Endangered predators may lead to erosion of reefs
Thursday, May 17, 2018
Major marine predators including groupers and snappers are endangered, a scientist has warned.
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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 Sara Westhead
There has been a lot of excitement in the Zoo over the past few months with the birth of three Tawny Frogmouth chicks.
The threesome are the offspring of Kermit and Duane, who have resided in the Australasia exhibit for the last one and a half years, having arrived in October, 2013.
Natives of Australia and Tasmania, Tawny Frogmouths are most closely related to oilbirds and nightjars. They are carnivorous, dieting mostly on nocturnal insects, as well as small mammals, reptiles and amphibians. They do much of their hunting at dusk.
In the wild, they typically breed from August to December, however, because Bermuda is located in a different hemisphere, this has been reversed to January through May. They typically form partnerships for life and will take turns incubating eggs on the nest, rarely leaving the nest unattended.
The first two chicks hatched from BAMZ residents
Kermit and Duane. Photos by S. Westhead
What makes these chicks particularly special is that Kermit, our male, has not previously been genetically represented in the tawny frogmouth population. His offspring are important as they will contribute to genetic diversity within the population that are in human care.
Also significant is the fact that Kermit is 18 years of age. In the wild, Tawny’s will usually live between 10 to 14 years, and in human care, there are only eight recorded males that have reproduced after the age of 17 years.
The oldest two chicks were born on March 21st, 2015 and March 28th, 2015, and are already on display in the Australasia exhibit, however they have been placed in an enclosure for their protection. The third chick was born on May 5th, 2015, and will hopefully be big enough to join its siblings in the near future.
The tawnies are a part of a Species Survival Protection breeding programme and the manager of that programme will recommend where the new chicks should be placed, in order to best maintain the breeding population. Those recommendations are generally issued annually, so for the next few months, they will still be calling BAMZ home.