Tierpark Chemnitz: New bird species on display
Two new bird species have been on display at Chemnitz Zoo since the end of September. A pair of rock partridges moved to Chemnitz from Plzen Zoo together with two pairs of common rock pigeons. Another pair of pigeons came from a private breeder.
The two bird species are to move to the European ground squirrel enclosure adjacent to the Ice Age Playground in the future. The project, which is being fully financed and built by the Friends of Chemnitz Zoo Association, is scheduled for completion in spring 2022. The animals are currently housed in an interim enclosure opposite the duck pond and are visible to visitors.
The new community facility at the Ice Age Playground will focus on European animal species. The two bird species fit into this concept. What's more, the two species are rarely found in zoological facilities. Rock partridges can only be found in eight facilities in Germany, and the common rock pigeon in only three throughout Europe.
The rock pigeon is the ancestral form of the domestic pigeon - and thus also of the feral urban pigeon. There are probably more than 800 breeds of domestic pigeon worldwide. This is the greatest variety of all domestic and farm animals. Domesticated and feral, the rock pigeon can be found worldwide, with the exception of the Arctic and Antarctic. People keep pigeons mainly as racing and homing pigeons, but there are also fattening pigeons that are bred for meat production. The European subspecies of rock pigeon, the common rock pigeon, is exhibited in the zoo.
The rock partridge is a subspecies of the rock partridge that is mainly found in the Alps and the Apennines in Italy. It is also found in Germany in the Alps. In the wild, the animals live at altitudes of 1600 to over 2800 metres, although they prefer lower altitudes in winter and can also be found in larger groups.
As the animals are relatively easy to tame, they are kept as livestock in many countries and also as pets in some countries. As they are also hunted for various reasons, populations in the wild continue to decline.
Opening hours from November to February:
Zoo 9 am to 4 pm, last admission 3 pm
Game enclosure 8 am to 4 pm, last admission 3 pm
Please note:
Due to the current Corona emergency regulations, only the outdoor enclosures are accessible. The animal houses in the zoo remain closed.
The 3G regulation applies to visits to the zoo and wildlife park and contact details will be collected. Online registration is requested.
www.tierpark-chemnitz.de