OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — 3 News Now Anchor Zach Williamson continues his weekly series 'Zach at the Zoo'. This week, he better introduces us to Karoo -- the southern ground hornbill.
- Karoo is an animal ambassador at the zoo and performs in the free flight bird shows at the Meadowlark Amphitheater.
- She performs every day at 11 a.m. from Memorial Day to Labor Day
- You can symbolically adopt Karoo, which helps feed her and provide enrichment. Click here for more information.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
“I mean, the eyelashes, everything about her is just beautiful," Meadowlark Amphitheatre Keeper Kristina Allen-Hall said while describing Karoo. "She is stunning and when you see her she makes a statement.”
It’s Karoo’s world – we’re just living in it.
“She is our little diva, our queen, and we just love her. I mean, anything you can think she’s just filled with personality.”
Karoo is a nine-year-old southern ground hornbill .
“She still has probably, I don’t know, 60-70 more years. So, she’s just a young one.”
Karoo’s most eye-catching characteristic is her waddle – also known as a throat pouch.
“We just call it her throat pouch. So what makes her unique is she has that violet patch you may see — that’s what distinguishes a male from a female. A male is going to have all red so you can tell she’s a lovely female from that violet throat pouch.”
“The wingspan — I mean, how big does karoo get?” I asked.
“Her wingspan is up to six feet. So, when she does fly, she goes far fast,” Allen-Hall says.
But as Karoo’s species name suggests – you're more likely to see her strutting around on the ground.
“They travel many, many miles a day but mostly by foot.”
When it’s chow time nothing is safe from these birds.
“We call her our little garbage disposal. She is opportunistic and eats anything she can find. Whether that be small mammals, snakes are her favorite to catch, she likes to catch bugs, she also eats lots of fruits and vegetables and any plant she can find outside. She loves it all (laugh).”
The southern ground hornbill is listed as a vulnerable species. Allen-Hall says their mating habits play a role in that.
“They take care of their young for a full nine years before they have another one. So they are wonderful mothers. They live in large family groups, so when you only have a baby every nine years it’s kind of hard to keep up their population.”
And now you can be that parent in Karoo’s life
“So if you go to the foundation website you can symbolically adopt Karoo specifically, and that helps to feed her and give her all the lovely enrichment that she wants.”
That’s omahazoofoundation.org.
You can see Karoo at the Meadowlark Amphitheater every day at 11 a.m. from Memorial Day to Labor Day, where she will participate in the free flight bird show.
