Green-breasted Mango
The green-breasted mango (for non birders, that's a type of hummingbird) that has been hanging out at a feeder in Beloit, WI has been captured and will now reside at a zoo.
I'm not sure how I feel about this. On the one hand, I feel the bird should have been left alone to figure it out for itself--this is how bird population ranges change, some birds just start moving in a different direction (and a mango has just shown up in Dublin, GA). On the other hand, can a Mexican species of hummingbird survive a Minnesota winter? And if I had it coming to my feeder on a daily basis and had formed an emotional attachment to it, would I not consider putting it in a zoo as well?
For a well thought out blog entry from someone with a strong hummingbird background, check out Sheri Williamson's blog.
I'm not sure how I feel about this. On the one hand, I feel the bird should have been left alone to figure it out for itself--this is how bird population ranges change, some birds just start moving in a different direction (and a mango has just shown up in Dublin, GA). On the other hand, can a Mexican species of hummingbird survive a Minnesota winter? And if I had it coming to my feeder on a daily basis and had formed an emotional attachment to it, would I not consider putting it in a zoo as well?
For a well thought out blog entry from someone with a strong hummingbird background, check out Sheri Williamson's blog.
posted by birdchick at 9:14 PM
9 Comments:
I had no idea that Beloit, Wisconsin experiences Minnesota winters.
DOH!
Good catch, Mike! Lol. I think I'm too tired and need to let go of the computer and get to bed.
Minnesota, Wisconsin...if you're a Green-breasted Mango, there's not that much difference! But seriously, Sharon, thanks for linking to my blog entry. There IS another alternative besides permanent captivity, and I hope some of your loyal readers will help us convince the Wisconsin Humane Society and/or Brookfield Zoo to send this bird to Texas, where he can have a second chance at a reasonably normal life.
Sharon: I really have to make another visit in the LRGV. The last time I was there was there was 1988 during the winter olympics. Sparky, Parker and I made a long road trip to the valley to find the following birds: Crimson-collared Grosbeaks, Golden-crowned Warbler, Tropical Parula, Blue Bunting and Crane Hawk plus a Grey-crowned Yellowthroat. We found them all except the grosbeaks!!
It was a trip of a lifetime and we were all so young and just getting our feet wet in the birding world. Since then Sparky publishes and writes several nature books and owns a publishing business, Parker went on to work for WINGS and I --well I just got married and stayed in Duluth. That trip was filled with lots of adventures of us being chased by those wild pigs (forgot real name for them), posing near a very large alligator, watching Sparky put fire ants in his because he was curious on how sweet they tasted, until he got bitten on his tongue!Parker locking his keys inside his new car and having to get a ride back to Rio Grande City while Mark and I sat on the Falcon Dam wall watching birds. Good times in the valley and that was 19 years ago!
Enoyed your photos of your time down there.
I hope you get back there soon, Mike. With your birding skillz at the level they are now, you would have a great time.
I do have to say, one of the reasons I enjoy birding there is that of all the places I go, it's one of the cheapest.
It's true that he might've died up north, I think you're right. Maybe he's just trying to expand his species' range. Sometimes it works, sometimes not. On the other hand, I'm proud to be able to say that I thought the same thing that THE hummingbird expert thought--ship the bird back home and let him go. He deserves his freedom.
I thought that comment at the end of the article about the rescue being "more a matter of compassion than conservation" interesting. It's not unreasonable to develop an emotional attachment to the wildlife we encounter-- especially those animals that visit our yards regularly-- but it seems problematic to sentimentalize them in that way. A wild hummingbird doesn't recognize compassion-- that's a human concept-- but it does understand things like territory and familiar food sources and potential mates.
Not being a very expert birder or a zoologist, I couldn't say with any certainty whether being kept in captivity will cause the bird undue distress or not, or whether or not he'd adapt successfully to a captive environment. From an ethical standpoint, that seems a little beside the point. He's not injured or unhealthy; his case isn't comparable to, say, that of peregrine #568. I think I also agree with the idea of sending him back to his usual habitat. A healthy bird is better off living its normal, birdy life.
As far as I knew, I didn't think zoos could just pick any wild animal and decide to make it captive. I really don't agree with keeping it captive.
Originally, I think it would have been best to band the bird with a USFW hummingbird band, and let it go where it was captured (ie at the feeder in WI), and allow the bird to continue its life in the wild, whether its location was unusual or not. However, now that it has been captured and incarcerated, I would support transporting it to Texas and being released where others of its kind occur, rather than keeping it captive at a zoo. I agree with Sheri Williamson that it would be ridiculous and detrimental to capture vagrant birds because of our "attachment" to them. Naturally appearing vagrants have a place in ecosystems.
This event occurred because the mango was small and easy to catch. (Not to mention most people consider hummers to be very cute.) But how about other "less cute" species, such as a cormorant? The people involved would likely have done no such thing had a rare species of cormorant had shown up in WI. (If a rare cormorant showed up at a hummingbird feeder, well then, they might have done something similar though...)
Well...I am more of a comprising type person. They could have captured the humming bird and taken it back to Texas. Acourse more likely than not it would then go straight back to Minnesota.
We had a mantee that would swim from Florida up to the Chespeake Bay right up to Maryland. Twice they captured and took the Mantee straight back to Florida. And he came right on back. You might try to move an animal, but more likely than not they come right on back.
kitmarlowescot2
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