• In the wild, flocks of several hundred guineafowl are common; 2,000 birds have been counted in one flock. They can lay from 6 to 19 eggs in one nest. Both parents feed and care for the chicks.
  • Large flocks of geese can be seen flying to and from grain fields during the fall, eating the leftover grain before starting their migration south.
 

Animal Life

Unique Wildlife in Dorothy Harvie Gardens

During the summer months, the Dorothy Harvie Gardens become home to some rather unique feathered friends. In early spring, native migratory geese and ducks make an appearance; many lay eggs in nests hidden around the water garden to the south of the Enmax Conservatory.

Our non-native, helmeted guineafowl and Indian peafowl are also welcomed into the gardens for the warm summer months. Exclamations of wonder are often heard as the peacocks unfurl their jewel-toned feathers in order to impress their female counterparts, the peahens.

Our Native Friends - Canada Geese & Mallard Ducks

The mallard ducks and ducklings generally look for a water body soon after hatching and may spend the summer on one of our lagoons or find their way to the river. The much larger geese, however, can wreak havoc in newly planted beds. They love the new shoots and don’t watch where they put their webbed feet.  Being grazers, geese think that our wonderfully kept grounds are a perfect place to raise their family, but they and their families are “herded” towards the river once annual planting begins. They also can be aggressive when defending their nests and gosling.  If given their space, and not chased, they will just hiss and return to their family.  Please remember to give them some room as you go by them on zoo or other city pathways. 

Both the geese and the mallards will head south for the winter once the cold weather causes our outside water to be shut off and the river begins to freeze.  Alternately, they might find warmer water that won’t freeze; you might see them gathering on the river south of the zoo at the water treatment plant.


Imported Guests - Peafowl & Guineafowl

Our African helmeted guineafowl and our Indian peafowl both cause our visitors to look twice.  The peacocks are usually noticed by their loud call which can be heard across the zoo.  They are attracting females so they can show off their wondrous tails in the hopes of finding a mate.  The males can also be seen strutting their stuff to reflections in windows or other animals, not necessarily even birds!  The females are drab-coloured to help them remain unnoticed on their nests.  Their breeding season ends in June, and the males will lose their long, colourful tail feathers as they walk through the gardens.  Keep your eyes out for feathers that have caught on the bushes.

The guineafowl are not as colourful.  Males and females look similar with their horny ‘helmets’ on their naked heads.  Our guineafowl are sometimes call ‘pearl’ guineafowl as their white, spotted feathers look kind of like pearls.  They are not as singularly noisy, but groups can still cause a stir when they start up their sharp, creaky, rapidly repeated calls interspersed with longer ‘nose-blowing’ noises. While peafowl are usually seen sauntering over the grass and in the bushes, guineafowl tend to scurry to and fro, staying more to the covered areas.

Neither of these species are as destructive as the geese, but both need warm quarters for the winter.  They would not survive a Canadian winter without having somewhere warm and dry.  Unfortunately, this area is off-exhibit to our visitors until the warm spring weather arrives again.