Articles

Articles
Photo: Lubomír Peške

Last year four of Prague Zoo’s night herons were tagged with satellite transmitters, the first has already returned to its nesting grounds. It was spotted by ornithologists Lubomír Pešek and Karel Pithart on Saturday 1st April. For the first time it was possible to map this species’ journey to its wintering grounds and...

Photo: Petr Hamerník, Prague Zoo

The reason for bird migration has yet to be satisfactorily explained, however, it can be said with certainty that this is a very old phenomenon that originated in ancient avian history. 

Photo: Prague Zoo

The representatives of this species nesting in Prague Zoo have a direct genetic relationship to our wild populations.

Young night heron, photo: Petr Hamerník, Prague Zoo

The night heron, as it is commonly called, is a medium-sized, wading bird species. It has a large head, strong beak and short tail; in adults the colouring is contrasting - a dark top to the body, a light face and underside, grey sides and yellow legs. During nesting it has conspicuous white feathers on the crown. Chicks are...

A night heron with a transmitter. Photo: Prague Zoo

Our night-herons are monitored using satellite telemetry, which automatically tracks the movement of animals. In recent decades this manner has gained in popularity around the world, especially when monitoring the migration routes of various animals.