Capercaillies strut around during courtship with their tails fanned, necks stretched up, and beard feathers ruffled. They flap their wings and sing their courtship song, which can be heard from 400 metres away. The hens mate with the rooster they find most attractive. Capercaillies are wild birds on the verge of extinction in Switzerland due to habitat loss. This capercaillie breeding initiative is part of a species conservation programme in partnership with Dählhölzli Zoo in Bern.

The striking body colour of these amphibians serves as a warning to all predators. Secretions produced by glands in their skin can cause skin irritation and nausea. The females do not lay eggs but deposit developed larvae into the water.

The garden dormouse sleeps for an unbelievable amount of time. It hibernates for half the year! It is active at night starting in April, foraging for fruit and berries and hunting insects and small animals. Foxes, martens and tawny owls are its predators.

The garden dormouse will discard its tail as a last resort when in danger.

Our garden dormice can only be visited on guided tours, as they live in a separate area.

Yellow-bellied toads are barely 5 cm in size, have an oval-shaped body and very warty skin. With their clay-brown back coloration, they are excellently camouflaged in their typical environment. The yellow and black to bluish patterned belly is unmistakable and allows individual recognition.

This small carp fish lives in fresh water. It avoids strong currents and feels at home in small bodies of water. Our Belicas share their aquarium with great ramshorn snails and freshwater shrimps.

The name says it all: these wild pigeons coo "turr-turr"! In Switzerland, they enjoy cooing in warmer regions and spend the winter south of the Sahara. They are now rare because suitable habitats are becoming increasingly scarce here, and they are hunted during migration. In the Augusta Raurica Animal Park, they live together with rock doves.

In the past, doves and pigeons were used as messengers because of their homing instinct.

Starlings are well-known breeding birds. They breed in gardens, in various forests and parks and often near meadows. The large flocks in which they gather outside the breeding season and perform spectacular formation flights are particularly striking.

Due to their social lifestyle, the birds benefit from each other by guiding each other to favourable feeding areas and warning each other of predators.

Starlings have a rich repertoire of sounds and can even imitate other birds.

The Eurasian harvest mouse is the smallest rodent in Europe. It builds its nests high up on the stalks and stems of reeds and sedges. For this reason, they are most commonly found along the banks of lakes and slow-flowing rivers. Their tail acts as a grip and climbing aid.

Guinea fowl are members of the chicken family originating from Africa's savannahs and forests. Their name comes from the tiny dots on their plumage: According to an ancient Greek legend, these were formed from the tears shed by the sisters of the hero Meleager after his death.

The guinea fowl is especially popular in French cuisine because of its flavourful, tender, mineral-rich meat.

Originating in India and Sri Lanka, peafowl are regarded as symbols of dominance, power, strength, prosperity, love, beauty and immortality. During breeding season, the male peacock proudly displays his splendid train to the female. The hen then chooses which male to mate with. After mating, the feathers are shed, known as moulting, and then regrow.

Peacocks have been kept as ornamental birds since ancient times, and the Romans even ate them.