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WHAT’S A TAG? A TAG’s responsibilities include the following:
• Conduct space surveys of facilities to find
An AZA Taxon Advisory Group (TAG) is a group
of professionals who oversee the management, how much space is available to house animals
conservation, and research concerning a comprehensive in the taxa
group of related species in AZA-accredited facilities. • Determine how space will be divvied up between
Bill Zeigler, senior vice president of Animal Programs different species in the taxa
at Brookfield Zoo, helped create the TAG concept and • Set a target population size for each species
co-created the first TAG—the Crocodilian TAG—in 1985. • Choose species to participate in SSP and
studbook programs
AZA’s Animal Population Management Committee Some TAGs work closely with a Saving Animals
oversees the TAGs and appoints the steering committee from Extinction (SAFE) program. A SAFE program takes
chairs. There are currently 44 TAGs. For example, the on conservation and education efforts, which allows
Felid TAG manages 18 species of wild cats—including the the TAG to focus on animal husbandry and managing
Amur tiger, snow leopard, cheetah, African lion, bobcat, animal populations.
and fishing cat.

institutional participation and available space. The RCP TAG: Passerines
is a tool that shows institutions what their colleagues Wild habitat: Forests and
are collaboratively working on. They can use this semi-open areas from
information to make plans for their zoo and to support Mexico to northern South
what other institutions are doing. Program coordinators America, Trinidad, Tobago
and institutional representatives can provide input to an RCP. Description: Song bird
with colorful plumage,
A TAG oversees the studbooks and SSPs of the species about 6 inches long
within its taxa. At last count, we had between 25 and 30 Life expectancy: Unknown
studbooks and SSPs in the Passerines TAG. I have the studbook in the wild, up to 12 years
and SSP for the blue-grey tanager and the red-capped cardinal. in human care
Our lead keepers have the studbooks and SSPs for the red-billed IUCN Red List Status:
hornbill, the Kenya crested guineafowl, the silver-beaked tanager, Least Concern
and the snowy owl.
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SSP animals are not all endangered; blue-grey tanagers are
not endangered. But what we learn about them—how to manage
them, their husbandry, their care—can be used if an endangered
species of tanager presents itself.

The Passerines TAG also oversees monitored species—species
that are either too few in number or species we don’t know enough
about yet to create an SSP and studbook. We learn about them
and try to improve their husbandry.

The Passerines TAG is researching nutrition in passerine
diets to help improve husbandry management. We will
communicate our findings to other institutions in regular program
communications and at annual TAG meetings.

It’s a huge collaborative effort. By working with all these
institutions, we keep a healthy, viable—sustainable and genetically
diverse—population so we don’t have to pull any animals from
the wild. For example, we haven’t brought any wild birds into the
Humboldt penguin population in close to two decades.