Our Team
A graduate of Southwestern University Law School in Los Angeles, and practicing attorney, Jerry Jennings initially became interested in birds when he accidentally bred a pair of Zebra Finches in the summer of 1971. One thing led to another, and through a series of successes in breeding birds, he founded his first aviary, Walnut Acres Aviary, in Los Angeles in 1973. Always dreaming of a larger piece of land, and bigger, better aviaries for his growing exotic bird collection, Jerry was able to make this dream a reality when he founded Emerald Forest Bird Gardens in 1990 on forty acres of land in Fallbrook, CA. The rest is history.
The establishment of EFBG was a jumping point in his lawyer-turned-aviculturist career, as Jerry went on to win numerous awards, grow the largest private collection of toucans in the world, and become a world-renowned authority in the care and propagation of toucans. His involvement in avicultural organizations helped shape the industry, and he continues to lecture at conferences nationwide. Jerry is now a retired attorney who spends most of his time managing Emerald Forest Bird Gardens and traveling the world. Some of his many accomplishments and associations include the following:
- Founder of the American Federation of Aviculture and president from 1974-76 and 1985-87
- Recipient of thirteen First Breeding Awards for toucans, including two World First Breedings in 1978 for the Ariel Toucan and Emerald Toucanet
- Life member of the International Wild Waterfowl Association
- Life member of the Avicultural Society of America
- Board member of the nonprofit organization Toucan Rescue Ranch, a wildlife rescue in Costa Rica
- Author and speaker on the subjects of toucan husbandry and propagation
First Breeding Awards
2023 - Venezuelan Collared Aracari (Pteroglossus torquatus nuchalis)
2023 - Groove-billed Toucanet (Aulachorynchus sulcatus sulcatus)
2010 - Lettered Aracari (Pteroglossus inscriptus humboldtii)
2010 - Black-throated Emerald Toucanet (Aulachorynchus prasinus atrogularis)
1992 - Guyana Toucanet (Selenidera culik)
1990 - Swainson's Toucan (Ramphastos ambiguus swainsonii)
1989 - Choco Toucan (Ramphastos brevis)
1989 - Collared Aracari (Pteroglossus torquatus torquatus)
1984 - Spot-billed Toucanet (Selenidera maculirostris)
1984 - Red-billed Toucan (Ramphastos tucanus tucanus)
1980 - Green Aracari (Pteroglossus viridis)
1978 - Emerald Toucanet (Aulachorynchus prasinus prasinus)
1978 - Ariel Toucan (Ramphastos ariel)
Dr. Kris Kuchinski is a graduate of the College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Florida, Gainesville, where she also received her Ph.D. in Avian Nutrition. Dr. Kris, as her friends and clients know her, has been practicing avian medicine for decades in Florida and maintains a house call practice. She is well known and appreciated for her exceptional skills and bedside manner, and is widely sought after as a speaker on all things birds. She often lectures at the College of Veterinary Medicine at UFL and around the country at various avicultural conferences.
Dr. Kris visits Emerald Forest Bird Gardens several times a year to sex birds, conduct routine health checks, instruct staff on the latest developments in avian medicine and care, and to participate in ongoing diet research projects. She is also available for emergency consultations as needed. She gives of her time generously and is a great asset to Emerald Forest.