Tropical Birds
All birds in the Lena Meijer Tropical Conservatory are native to the tropics and were raised in captivity. These birds include the Northern Red Bishop, Red-cheeked Cordon Bleu Finch, Chinese Painted Quail and Canary, among others.
The Lena Meijer Tropical Conservatory is an iconic architectural feature of Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park. Creating a tropical oasis in Michigan requires a full sensory experience.
The tropical bird collection at Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park is generously supported by John and Marian Bouwer.
The tropical birds within the Lena Meijer Tropical Conservatory lend beauty, color and a sense of escape into a vastly different biome than our own. Birds are sourced only from ethical breeders and every effort is made to work with local providers, when possible.
(Male pictured first)
NORTHERN RED BISHOP (Euplectes franciscanus)
Additional Common Names: Orange bishop
Range: Africa
Diet: Mainly seeds; some insects
Did You Know? Males build the nest, an oval mass of plant stems. Females add additional material to line the inside.
Listen to the Northern Red Bishop's call.
CANARY (Serinus canaria domestica)
Additional Common Names: Canary, common canary, Atlantic canary, island canary
Range: The Canary, Azores, and Madeira islands
Diet: Mainly seeds
Did You Know? The coloration and sustained vocal ability of domestic Canaries are the result of 400 years of selective breeding.
CHINESE PAINTED QUAIL (Coturnix chinensis)
Additional Common Names: blue-breasted quail, king quail, button quail; Asian blue quail
Range: Tropical Asia
Diet: Mainly seeds; some fresh vegetation, small worms and insects
Did You Know? These birds typically nest on the ground in hollows lined with grass. Their newly hatched chicks are as small as bumble bees.
Listen to the call of the Chinese Painted Quail.
RED-CHEEKED CORDON BLEU FINCH (Uraeginthus bengalus)
Additional Common Names: Red-cheeked cordonbleu, Red-cheeked cordon-bleu
Wild-Type Range: Africa
Diet: Mainly seeds, some insects
Did You Know? Only male Red-cheeked Cordon Bleu Finches have the distinctive red patch on each cheek.
Listen to the call of the Red-cheeked Cordon Bleu Finch.
Photo by Charles J. Sharp - Own work, from Sharp Photography, sharpphotography, CC BY-SA 4.0
PARROT FINCH (Erythrura spp.)
Additional Common Names: parrotfinch, parrot-finch
Range: Africa
Diet: Mainly seeds; some insects, fruits and vegetation
Did You Know? Many types of Parrot Finches are common in aviculture, but some species—such as the Pink-Billed Parrot Finch—are vulnerable to extinction due to habitat loss and degradation.