Following the successful breeding of exotic budgerigars, pairs of wood ducks, golden pheasants, and yellow golden pheasants have also successfully paired and laid eggs in the walk-through aviary at Nagar Van. While this development brings joy to UT forest and wildlife officers, there is a sense of anticipation as they await the successful hatching of the eggs.
Approximately 12 eggs were carefully selected and placed in an incubator for artificial hatching due to some being destroyed by the pairs, which is a normal occurrence during the hatching process. The ideal mating period for wood ducks spans from mid-March to mid-April, while pheasants typically mate from April to June. Last December, a pair of budgerigars successfully bred and hatched.
“We are excited and eager to see the hatching of chicks from these eggs. As some of the eggs were damaged by the pairs, we picked a dozen eggs of both species and placed them in an incubator for artificial hatching. Many eggs were left with the pairs for natural hatching. The process of natural and artificial hatching of these exotic birds in captivity is a subject of research and testing for us,” said Debendra Dalai, Chief Conservator of Forest, UT.
The incubation period for wood ducks ranges from 28 to 32 days, while pheasants have an incubation period of 22 to 23 days. Both species typically lay around 8 to 12 eggs at once.
The walk-through aviary houses a total of 840 exotic birds, representing at least 45 bird species, including blue, yellow, red, and green macaws, rainbow lorikeets, swainson’s lorikeets, sun parakeets, jandaya parakeets, and more. Inaugurated by the First Lady Savita Kovind on November 16 last year, the aviary is among the few walk-through aviaries in India. To facilitate necessary maintenance, the aviary is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, and the entry time has been extended until 6 pm for the summer season, with the entry starting at 10 am.