Watch the hidden 'nest cam' footage of rare hornbill chicks hatching at Chester Zoo

19th February

By Matt Warner

HIDDEN cameras at Chester Zoo have captured remarkable footage showing the hatching of two rare hornbill chicks.

The rhinoceros hornbill chicks, which are both female, arrived to parents Manu and Liv after an incubation period of around 40 days and are the first to hatch at the zoo for more than 13 years. Chester is the only zoo in the UK to ever successfully breed the species.

The rarely seen film is at the heart of a new series of Channel 4’s The Secret Life of the Zoo.

Conservation experts say the arrival of chicks is made even more special given the remarkable survival story of their parents who were rescued from a fire at the zoo in Dec 2018. The pair was safely led away from the fire by dedicated members of the zoo’s bird team and, within hours, they had been re-homed in another area of the 128 acre site.

Read on and watch video

Two 'extinct' birds have hatched at Chester Zoo

The Socorro birds completely vanished from their native land 47 years ago

By   Jessica Sansome

12:04, 7 JAN 2019

UPDATED12:10, 7 JAN 2019

Chester Zoo have welcomed two new additions - and there are just 23 of them existing in the UK.

A couple of rare Socorro doves hatched on November 7 and were raised by 'foster parents, a pair of barbary doves.

The birds, which originate from Socorro Island located 400 miles off the west coast of Mexico, are listed as extinct in the wild with fewer than 200 existing in human care in zoos around the world.

The Socorro birds completely vanished from their native land 47 years ago and declared extinct in the wild in 1972.

It is thought that the introduction of sheep that ate the plants the doves depended on to survive as well as invasive species such as cats that preyed upon the bird, are behind their demise.

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Chester Zoo provides new home for 100 exotic birds rescued from illegal traders

The birds were destined to be sold illegally as pets

Community Contributor

21:00, 21 JUN 2018

Chester Zoo has provided a safe haven for almost 100 exotic birds after they were seized from the illegal wildlife trade.

The birds, from 14 under threat species, have been given a safe new home in the zoo’s habitats.

They were destined to be illegally sold as pets before being seized by customs officials in Europe as part of a collaboration against the trade.

The illegal wildlife trade is the fourth largest international crime in the world, worth around $19 billion annually.

Hundreds of bird species are known to appear in parts of Europe after being taken from the wild in Africa, South America and South East Asia.

The birds at Chester Zoo will now play a crucial role in boosting safety net numbers of each species as part of international breeding programmes, managed by the zoo and the global conservation community.

Read on  

Chester Zoo conservationists need YOUR help to save this much loved bird species

The structure of new buildings is causing a major threat to the future of the one of nature’s greatest fliers

Carmella de Lucia

06:00, 12 MAY 2017

 

Conservationists from Chester Zoo are calling on the public to help save a bird they say is in rapid decline.

The swift – which can fly non-stop for four years, is one of the UK’s most iconic species, migrating from Africa up through Europe every spring to nest in the UK over summer.

Since Roman times they have nested in eaves and holes in buildings but thanks to improvements to UK buildings in recent decades, they are arriving afetr their long journey to find a lack of nesting sites.

Now the first major swift survey in the Chester area for 20 years is underway and experts are offering tips on how you can lend a helping hand to the British favourite by protecting nest sites and putting up nest boxes.

Conservationists from Chester Zoo’s Wildlife Connections campaign and the Chester RSPB Group have teamed up with Cheshire West and Chester Council, RECORD, Cheshire Wildlife Trust, the Cheshire biological records centre and local experts in a bid to help the bird by turning Chester into a swift friendly city.

Manon Keir, Wildlife Connections project officer at Chester Zoo, said: “The great British summer would not be the same without the sight and sounds of swifts gracing our skies, but we mustn’t take this for granted. Conservation is critical but it is certainly not too late.

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A cracking surprise! Four rare Javan GREEN magpies hatch at Chester Zoo

A clutch of Javan green magpie eggs hatched at Chester Zoo this summer

The birds are extremely rare, with few seen in the wild in southeast Asia
Conservationists at the zoo are part of an international effort to save them

By Ryan O'Hare for MailOnline

Published: 17:47, 4 October 2016 | Updated: 17:48, 4 October 2016

For the first time , four of the world's rarest magpie have been born at a UK zoo.

The first Javan green magpie chick hatched at Chester Zoo on 13th June and the last of the four was born on 15th August.

Since then, the striking birds have remained safely tucked away with their parents.

With stunning green, red and black plumage, the Javan green magpie is one of nature's most eye-catching species.

The birds are listed as critically endangered, with few sightings in their southeast Asian habitat.

Bird experts warn the situation may have worsened recently and that the magpies could be close to extinction in the wild.

The birds have been losing the battle, as their forest habitat is destroyed to make way for agricultural land.

As one of the most endangered birds on the planet, the rare chicks have provided a major boost to conservation efforts to save the magpies from extinction.

Conservationists and bird staff at Chester Zoo are making every effort to try and save the species, which has been targeted by the illegal bird trade in its native Indonesian forests.

Andrew Owen, the curator of birds at Chester Zoo, said: 'I have had the privilege of working with many rare and beautiful birds, but none are more precious than the Javan green magpie - one of the world's most endangered species.

'We've been working with our conservation partners in Java - the Cikananga Wildlife Centre - for more than six years.

'In that time we've seen Javan green magpies disappear almost completely from the wild as they are captured for the illegal bird trade.

'Huge areas of forests that were once filled with beautiful songbirds, are falling silent.'

The Javan green magpie is listed as critically endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

Bird experts have warned that the situation may have worsened in recent months, with no recent sightings reported, stoking fears the striking birds may be close to extinction in the wild.
But now, the breeding of the four new chicks in Chester has given a huge lift to conservation efforts to save the magpies.

Andrew says: 'Knowing that our first pair had nested was a momentous occasion for us - seeing the first chick was even more special.

'All four chicks have now fledged and are currently sporting blue feathers, which will eventually turn apple green as they mature.

'So far we have successfully bred from two adult pairs and these four chicks are a vital addition to the worldwide population.

'Every individual we breed here could help save the species as the clock is ticking and time is running out.'

The arrival of the four chicks brings the total number of Javan green magpies at Chester Zoo to 11, while the Cikananga Conservation Breeding Center currently has 19 birds, all under the care of Chester Zoo staff and local Indonesian experts. 

 

Read more:

Javan Green Magpies: Extremely Rare Birds Relocated To Safe Home in UK Zoo

By Samantha Mathewson

Dec 30, 2015 03:03 PM EST

 (Photo : Wikimedia Commons )

With less than 100 Javan green magpies remaining in the wild and captivity, the U.K.'s Chester Zoo is taking in six pairs of these rare birds in a desperate final attempt to save them from extinction.

"We really are fighting against time to save the incredibly rare Javan green magpie from extinction. Sadly, there is evidence that the species is fast disappearing in the wild as they have fallen victim to the pet trade and an ever-shrinking habitat," Andrew Owen, the zoo's curator of birds, said in a statement. "In fact, they have only been found once in the last 10 years in the wild by ornithologists."

The Javan green magpie is native to Indonesia and prized for its beautiful plumage and bird song. Their bright green plumage is procured through the food they eat: insects, frogs and lizards. When captured, these birds – among others commonly caged as pets in Indonesia – don't survive very long, BBC reports. For more than five years, conservationists have been breeding these birds in captivity to create what they call "safety net" populations. When the birds were first brought to the zoo, they spent six weeks in quarantine before being released into a larger area that resembles their natural habitat and is scattered with locus. 

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Watch a rare breed of Asian duckling hatching at Chester Zoo

Tuesday, August 11, 2015

If you like small, cute, fluffy things, you’ll love this.

Keepers at Chester Zoo have captured incredible footage of a rare Asian Baer’s pochard duckling hatching from its shell inside an incubator.

Just a few hundred of the ducklings remain in the wild, while around 250 live in conservation around the world.

Chester Zoo’s curator of birds, Andrew Owen, said: “Our two new white-winged ducklings are very important birds given that their numbers are extremely low in the wild. Our dedicated bird team will be keeping a very close eye on them to make sure they make it through to adulthood.

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Good News: Ecuador Amazon Parrot Declared New Parrot Species

Bad news: There are only around 600 left.

Jessica Pineda

The Ecuador Amazon (Amazona lilacina) was considered a subspecies of the red-lored Amazon (Amazona autumnalis).

While other subspecies of A. autumalis primarily live in lowland forests, the Ecuador Amazon parrot relied on mangroves and dry forest. This difference in habitat made researchers wonder if this was a different parrot species altogether.

Mark Pilgrim, the director general of Chester Zoo in the United Kingdom, led a study of the Educador Amazon parrot, and determined it was its own separate species.

The red-lored Amazon has a population of 5 milllion, while the Ecuardor Amazon has as few as 600 members.

The new species, A. lilacina, will be officially announced in Spring 2014.

Good news: A new species of parrot has been discovered. The Ecuador Amazon parrot, or Lilacine Amazon parrot, once believed to be subspecies of the red-lored Amazon parrot (Amazona autumnalis), was discovered to be its own separate species by a team of researchers from the Chester Zoo in the United Kingdom.

Bad news: With the discovery of the new species, researchers realized there were only around 600 left.

"I studied this particular parrot for my PhD,” said Mark Pilgrim, Chester Zoo director general and head of the study of the Ecuador Amazon parrot, in a latest field news report from the Chester Zoo, "and found sufficient evidence for the bird to be recognised as a species in its own right, a crucial step in getting some much needed protection. As you can imagine, this project is close to my heart — it’s estimated that there may be as few as 600 Ecuador Amazon parrots left in the wild but more work is needed to confirm this.”

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Study offers snapshot of rare Ecuador Amazon parrot

23 May 2014 Last updated at 17:44

By Mark Kinver

Environment reporter, BBC News

UK researchers that headed to South America to learn more about one of the world's rarest parrots have returned with "more questions than answers".

A team from Chester Zoo spent three weeks studying Ecuador Amazon parrots.

The parrot was only reclassified as a species in its own right in December, before which it was deemed to be a subspecies of a common group of birds.

Only 600 individuals are estimated to remain in the wild, prompting the new species to be listed as Endangered.

"The truth is that we came back with far more questions than answers," explained expedition leader Mark Pilgrim, director general of Chester Zoo.

"Suddenly, there are a whole number of things that we didn't expect and we now have questions about."

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Rare "Brillo pad" birds set to scrub up well at Chester Zoo (GALLERY)

Apr 30, 2014 12:32

By Kirsty McHale

White-naped pheasant pigeons being hand-reared by the zoo's keepers

Rare white-naped pheasant pigeon Kola is one of two to have hatched at Chester Zoo

Is it a bird? Is it a Brillo pad? It's one of Chester Zoo's latest arrivals, a rare Asian bird... that looks a bit like a Brillo pad.

Three-week old Kola is one of two white-naped pheasant pigeons to have recently hatched at the zoo, where they are receiving round-the-clock care in their precious early days.

After being rejected by their parents, the two chicks are being hand-reared by Chester Zoo keepers, who have developed a special diet to help the pigeons go from strength to strength.

And ironically, given their startling resemblance, the keepers are actually using scouring pads to help look after their new charges.

Chester Zoo bird keeper Gareth Evans said: “Hand-feeding them is a tricky business. The scouring pad gives them something to grip onto to make sure they don’t slip and slide around, helping their feet and legs to develop properly.

"Normally they’d be on a nest on the ground made up of lots of little sticks and twigs, so a scouring pad acts to create the grip they’d get from the nest."

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Chester Zoo sends an expedition to search for a rare parrot in Ecuador

January 2014: A team of 10 experienced conservationists, bird and horticultural experts, depart this month to survey the remote Cerro Blanco Forest in South West Ecuador, with the aim of tracking down and collecting vital data on the Ecuador Amazon parrot.

Until recently, the Ecuador Amazon parrot was considered to be part of a group and therefore not seen as a conservation priority, but it has been newly recognised as a species in its own right.

Years of research by the zoo’s director general, Dr Mark Pilgrim, has led to its reclassification, and a conservation action-plan is now being put in place.

continued

Discovery offers Ecuador Amazon parrot 11th hour hope

A South American parrot has been reclassified as a species in its own right, which could help save the bird from becoming extinct in the wild.

Until now, the Ecuador Amazon parrot was considered to be part of a group not seen as a conservation priority.

It is estimated that only 600 of the birds remain in the wild, which need two habitats - mangroves and dry forests - in order to survive.

The reclassification was based on years of work by a researcher at Chester Zoo.

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Critically Endangered parakeets hatched at UK zoo

As few as 250 grey-breasted parakeets, which are native northeast Brazil, are believed to remain in the wild.

Three of the rarest parrots in the world have hatched at Chester Zoo.

October 2013. It's only the second time grey-breasted parakeets have ever been bred in a UK zoo - with both breeding successes being at Chester. 

Just 250 birds left alive

As few as 250 grey-breasted parakeets, which are native to Ceará in northeast Brazil, are believed to remain in the wild. Habitat loss and the illegal pet trade are blamed for their devastating decline. However the new arrivals have given conservationists fresh hope in the fight to haul the species back from the brink.

"These little additions are very significant indeed," said Andy Woolham, Chester Zoo's team manager of parrots and penguins. "Chester is the only zoo that works with grey-breasted parakeets in the UK and we're absolutely thrilled that we've been able to breed them, not least because there is real concern about the long-term future of the species in the wild.

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Zoo gives its exotic and endangered birds their annual check up

6 Mar 2013 16:29

More than 150 birds  are being studied to assess their health, condition and sex

Zoo keepers have set about the mammoth task of carrying out health checks on more than 150 birds.

The endangered and exotic birds at Chester Zoo’s free-flying tropical house are being studied to assess their health, condition and sex.

And keepers have come up with a novel way of keeping the birds calm as they get the job done – placing the birds head first into mugs and other dark containers before weighing them on sets of scales.

Chester Zoo’s curator of birds, Andrew Owen, said: “It’s vital we are able to take accurate biometric measurements of the birds to give us a better understanding of their biology and that includes taking a weight for each of them.

“To do this we carefully place each of the birds beak down into a container for a few seconds – as it’s dark inside it helps to keep the birds really nice and calm.

A Pekin Robin at Chester Zoo is weighed as part of an annual health check

“We also deploy special netting techniques to help us catch the birds in the first place and it’s really important that all of our staff have a chance to get to grips with those.

“That’s because the very same methods are also used at our field conservation projects, so the skills picked up here are vital to those staff heading overseas to try and save certain species threatened with extinction in the wild.”

More than 20 different species of bird reside in the zoo’s Tropical Realm including exotic songsters like the orange-headed thrush and Brazilian tanager, as well as conservation species such as the vulnerable-to-extinction Javan sparrow and critically endangered blue-crowned laughing thrush.

http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/uk-news/chester-zoo-gives-exotic-endangered-1724765

Chester Zoo helps Bali starling release project

One of the rarest birds in the world has been released back into the wild, with help from conservationists from Chester Zoo.

Illegal poaching of the Bali starling reduced its native population to an estimated six birds in 2001.

Conservation breeding efforts on the Indonesian island have seen a small recovery to between 50 and 115.

Dr Roger Wilkinson, Chester Zoo's head of field conservation and research, said it was a "momentous moment".

He said the release of four pairs was the first time the birds had been introduced into the wild in central Bali.

"The area was specially picked as it was well protected and had staff able to monitor the rare birds," he said.

"Quite a crowd turned out as most people local to the area had never seen a live Bali starling before."

Continued:  http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-merseyside-21656386