The Aquarium is bidding a somber farewell to a Butterfly Garden resident who spent her entire life bringing joy to guests and staff alike.
For eight years, the Aquarium’s Crested Wood Partridge was a beloved fixture in an exhibit where it was easy to be overlooked in favor of colorful, flitting butterflies. Despite fierce competition for guests’ attention, her friendly, inquisitive nature and bold attitude won many visitors over.
“She has quite a few groupies now,” says Curator of Forests Kevin Calhoon. “People have grown up with her. She was the empress of the exhibit.”
A little bird with a big personality, the Crested Wood Partridge fostered strong connections with her human caregivers, who would frequently whistle back and forth with her as she followed them around. In some sense, it’s like she was the “supervisor” of the gallery’s routine care and maintenance, says Senior Horticulturist Austin Prater.
“It was her domain,” he says. “She was the boss of the area. I always joked that she was giving me instructions about what to do for the day.”
The Crested Wood Partridge was hatched in the Aquarium's Butterfly Garden.
A fearless bird, she strutted through the garden, heedless of the comings and goings of guests during the Aquarium’s operating hours. To many, she seemed delighted to be the center of attention.
Hatched in 2017 to parents who also lived in the Garden, the Wood Partridge was an aging bird at more than eight years old. In human care at institutions that are accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums like the Tennessee Aquarium, the median life expectancy of a Crested Wood Partridge is approximately five years.
During recent morning maintenance, the Wood Partridge was found to have died. A necropsy performed by veterinary staff revealed several age-related maladies that likely contributed to her passing.
The Aquarium’s forestry team is exploring possibly adding other birds to the Butterfly Garden in the future, but the Wood Partridge’s absence will be felt keenly by those who knew her best.
“There is a piece of that garden that’s missing,” Prater says. “I feel like I hear her calling and occasionally will catch myself whistling back. She just had that large of a presence and was that much of a part of the Butterfly Garden.”
