NC Zoo | Desert Dome Welcomes Pair of Rare African Birds
[Scott Pelkey | North State Journal]
ASHEBORO N.C. – The Desert Dome at the North Carolina Zoo recently became the new home to a pair of rare African birds.
Several months ago, two Von der Decken's Hornbills arrived at the North Carolina Zoo. Jake, the male, who came from the Los Angeles Zoo, and Zuri, the female, who came from the Rosamond Gifford Zoo in New York.
After spending around a month in quarantine, a standard precaution, the pair were introduced to each other and now reside together in the Desert Dome.
Von der Decken's Hornbills (Tockus deckeni) are a distinctive species of birds found in the arid regions of East Africa, particularly in Somalia, Kenya, and Tanzania.
The birds distinguishing feature, is its large bill, also called a horn. “For them it's a to...