Jurong Bird park

Singapore - Monday 28th of May 2007
Today we went to Jurong Bird Park. It was heaps of fun! We saw a large variety of birds. There were birds from Australia and lots of other countries. My favouriate bird was the hawks. In one enclosure there was this place where you could feed little birds. They were on my head, arms and the bowl we used to feed them from. There was a huge range of colours on the birds. Some birds had stripes and others where just the one colour, some even had five colours. I learnt at Jurong Bird Park that some birds need to take sand baths. Sand bathing helps the bird to get rid of external nurasitesw like fleas, lice and mites. The sand soaks up excess oil and removes broken feathers.


The Southern Ground Hornbill - This huge carnivourous hornbill can be seen standing across the savnannas of central and South Africa. It may cover 11 kilometres a day while scratching for any small animal that can be sourced and eaten. It's loud call can be heard mostly early morning and late afternoon to attract each other. North Angola to Kenya and Cape Province - This birds diet consists of small animals, flying inspects and lizards. Habitat: Woodland, Savanna and open grass land.
The Rock Hopper Penguin - The Eudyptes chrysocome, is the scientific name for a Rock Hopper Penguin. The Rock Hooper Penguin is a small aggresive Penguin. They are called 'Rockhoppers' because they jump from rock to rock. These penguins used to be hunted for there oil, now they are protected. They can live for ten years. Penguins feathers are shiny and waterproof. They are waterproof to keep them dry. Penguins molt, losing there old feathers and growing new ones. Rockhoppers grow up to 22 inches (55cm tall and can weigh 3 kgs.) There feathery crest is droopy which is black and yellow. They have a bright orange-red bill, and bright red eyes. Females and males are very similar in appearance. They have big heads and a short thick neck, a short wedged tail, a streamlined shape, and tiny flipper-like wings. They have webbed feet which help them swim. they have a lighter colour on the belly and darker on the back. These colours help to camaflage them while they are in the water to assist in hiding them from predators. Wild penguins live in the Southern Hemisphere. Rockhoppers live on sub-antartic islands. They are carnivores which catch their prey and then eat them. They eat crustaceans and small fish. Their predators are Blue Sharks, Leopard Seals and Fur Seals. Eggs and Chicks are eaten by birds, Skuas, Petrels and Dominican Gulls. They breed from October to April the warmest time in the Southern Hemisphere. They nest in colonies of large groups in rocky coastal areas. Females usually lay two eggs but only one gets incubated. Both male and female care for their chicks.