One interesting thing about visiting zoos is that you get a really skewed view of what species are and are not rare.

Take the amur tiger, for example. I see *lots* of them. I also see a great many amur leopards, bali mynahs, rhinocerosauruses, elephants, lemurs, and macaws. This is because they’re in breeding programs to help their respective species survive.

Little critters like this Javan pond heron are quite common in their native range … but I don’t live there and most zoos don’t care for them because they’re not rare enough. At the Baton Rouge Zoo, though, this was the only species I’d never seen before. So it was rare for me.

Most people think they’re called “roseate” because of their colouration, but it’s actually because they have an unwarrantably optimistic view of our planet’s future.

Some peacocks are paint-by-number.

Eagle practice is going rather well.

The early bird is not limited to worms.

This hornbill is surprised that you are still using such a simple password.

Might be time for a change.

This parrot has a secret, but isn’t going to tell you what it is.

Stork pondering that, while we know Rome was not built in a day, we don’t know how long it did take.