Four birds escaped the Minnesota Zoo's tropics area in early July and officials there are asking for help from Minnesota's birding community in returning them.
Birders asked to help find magpies that escaped from Minnesota Zoo
The four female birds escaped in July and one has been returned to the zoo so far.
August 31, 2022 at 7:01PM
The four African magpie shrikes, also known as African long-tailed shrikes, flew out through an emergency exit that had been mistakenly left open in the aviary, zoo spokesman Mike Stephenson said in a statement.
One of the birds has been recovered so far and returned to its zoo habitat. The others — all females — are still missing, though there have been sightings near the Apple Valley zoo.
The birds are black and short-bodied with distinctive white patches on their shoulders and wings. They have a long, floppy tail, zoo officials said.
They are native to eastern and southeastern Africa, where they inhabit the savannah and shrubland. The birds are not currently endangered.
The shrikes aren't a threat to the local ecosystem and are part of an all-female group that can't reproduce, Stephenson said.
The zoo has notified its Minnesota and national zoological and wildlife partners and has connected with the local birding community, including the Minnesota Ornithologists' Union, in hopes that they might be able to help track the birds' whereabouts.
"As an organization, we are not seeking these birds, but our membership will certainly be on the lookout for them while out birding," said Michelle Terrell, president of the Minnesota Ornithologists' Union, in an email.
Terrell also said Facebook groups like "Minnesota Birding" have played a role in reporting sightings of the birds.
According to the zoo's letter to the Ornithologists' Union, one shrike was seen near the Terrace Oaks East Park in Burnsville, one was spotted near the School of Environmental Studies near the zoo in Apple Valley, and the third has not been seen. The fourth was returned after a sighting at a nearby marsh.
Each of the birds has a metal band and a colored band on a leg; if a bird is spotted, the band's color is helpful to note, the letter said.
Anyone who thinks they have seen the birds should call 952-431-9200. Date, time, and specific location are useful information.
"If we can get a live sighting, we can respond immediately and have a better luck in recapturing these tropical birds before winter," said Benjamin Hubred, assistant curator of birds for the Minnesota Zoo, in the letter.
The shrikes aren't the first birds to go missing at the zoo. In October 2021, a Eurasian eagle owl names Gladys escaped during a routine exercise and training session. She died, most likely after being hit by a car, zoo officials said.
