Earth Day, and the 26th anniversary of Disney’s Animal Kingdom at Walt Disney World, is fast approaching. Everyday we learn more and more about what’s happening at Animal Kingdom for Earth Day and Earth Month. One thing you might not realize is the behavior of birds. Birds roam freely, and there’s usually not much we can do to get out of their way. When walking near the Tree of Life during various times of the day, you may encounter a free-flying flock of fine-feather macaws during “Animal Encounters: Wing Encounters – The Kingdom Takes Flight.”
Did you know that over 100 birds are monitored for breeding and feeding behavior? Would you believe the technological solution comes in the size of a grain of rice?
At Disney’s Animal Kingdom, scientists have used RFID technology to study more about the breeding behaviors of Northern carmine bee-eaters. Now, they are using this tracking device to learn even more about the behavior of these unique and colorful birds. Some big and some small, some slow and some fast, bird diets can be tricky. Using these RFID bands helps teams monitor how many times the carmine bee-eaters enter their “dining rooms” for a tasty spread of their favorite insects and to keep them healthy.
Why is this important? Because their necessary diets are nutrient-rich and if they eat wild bugs (the human equivalent of French fries and onion rings) rather than the bugs our dieticians give them, they risk getting full bellies and no nutrients.
The technology has given the animal care team yet another tool to understand bird activity, location, behavior and responses to training cues. Disney hopes to eventually include other bird species in this research and continue to learn more about all our unique animals.
A veterinarians’ job is to care for the animals, in every aspect of their health, including diets. This technological tool ensures we can collect as much information about our animals and their health as possible, especially since we have the largest population of this bird species in any Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) accredited institution!
“This project has been really exciting to work on, because we get to implement cutting-edge technology to take the best possible care of our birds,” said Andrew, a Research Programs Specialist on the Animals, Science and Environment team.
To learn more about this species and many others like it, visit DisneyAnimals.com.
This is just one example of how Disney is putting possibility into practice and caring for wildlife and their habitats through Disney Planet Possible.
What do you think of this new technology? Are you fascinated by birds? Let us know in the comments!
