1 of 2 Rare Birds That Flew the Coop Is Caught

One of two rare birds reported missing from the Los Angeles Zoo last week has been found, zoo officials said Monday.

The male Asian rhinoceros hornbill was captured Sunday night by zoo keepers, armed with a net, who snagged the horned creature near Big Tujunga Wash in Sunland after numerous sightings by residents there. His female partner remains at large, zoo spokeswoman Lora La Marca said.

The nameless birds had been spotted several times last week in the general vicinity of the zoo in Griffith Park, but refused to come down to earth, La Marca said. They flew off for parts unknown early Sunday, then were spotted later in the day in Sunland, about 10 miles away.

The male was captured by keepers who flushed the big bird out of a tree, chased him about with their nets and “made him fly until he was tired,” La Marca said.

Once netted, the bird was checked out by a zoo veterinarian, who pronounced him fit, and placed him back into his cage.

“He was really hungry,” La Marca said. “They kept tossing him grapes and he kept gobbling them up.”

Meanwhile, zoo workers are keeping a close watch on the Sunland area for the male’s missing mate. The two flew the coop Jan. 28, after a tree fell onto their cage, ripping a hole large enough for them to escape.

The pair--valued at about $15,000--are distinctive. They measure about three feet long from beak to tail feathers and are black with white trimmings and large orange bills. They have a large orange casque, or horn-like growth, on top of their beaks, giving them a vaguely rhino-like appearance.