Recent News

Bermuda hailed for turtle conservation role
Saturday, April 23, 2016

Green turtles have been removed from the endangered species list in Florida, with a researcher saying Bermuda played an important role.


College Class Visits Trunk Island ‘Classroom’
Tuesday, April 19, 2016

The Bermuda College’s Introduction to Biology students were given the special treat of having a ‘hands-on’ class on Trunk Island, the Bermuda Zoological Society’s “Living Classroom”.


Author Mykkal to share butterfly photos
Saturday, April 16, 2016

Author Ras Mykkal will be sharing his spectacular collection of butterfly photographs when he talks at the latest Bermuda Zoological Society lecture next week.


Stitches removed from loggerhead turtle
Wednesday, April 13, 2016

A loggerhead turtle that underwent life-saving surgery to have a rusting hook removed from her throat could be released to the wild later this spring.


Photos: Injured Turtle Has Stitches Removed
Tuesday, April 12, 2016

Daisy — the loggerhead turtle that has been residing at the Bermuda Museum, Aquarium & Zoo since she underwent life-saving surgery to remove a rusting hook in her throat three months ago — has had her stitches removed and it is hoped she can be released back into the wild in late spring/early summer.



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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!

Breeding Success! Tawny Frogmouth Chicks
Bermuda Zoological Society
Wednesday, July 01, 2015

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.

BZS_150707_9a.jpg
The first two chicks hatched from BAMZ residents
Kermit and Duane.
 Photos by S. Westhead

BZS_150701_9b.jpg

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.