Edinburgh Zoo has bred their first ever Mindanao bleeding-hear dove. Bird keepers are ecstatic about the tiny chick.
This chick hatched on April 10th. It was incubated by its parents for 15 to 18 days. Just recently it has fledged meaning it left the nest. It can now be seen exploring the lush shrubbery of its enclosure at the zoo.
It still has a bit of growing to do before it will transform from a grey fluff ball into a beautiful adult. Bleeding heart doves are best known for their red chest markings. These striking birds are one of a number of bleeding-heart dove subspecies which are only found in the Phillippines. Normally they are shy and spend large period of time on the forest floor. In the wild they are threatened by extinction due to deforestation, overhunting and capturing for the pet trade.
Edinburgh Zoo is participating in the European Studbook for this species. Last year during July and August the chicks parents arrived at the zoo. They attempted to nest a few times but ultimately failed. Luckily this year their first nesting attempt was successful.
Bird team leader for Edinburgh Zoo, Colin Oulton said, “We are incredibly happy about the hatching of the bleeding-heart dove chick. This is first time we have had this particular species of bird and have managed to help the pair breed produce a chick after only a short time of living at Edinburgh Zoo. These birds are listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, so breeding them is important. Once our chick is older it will leave Edinburgh and be paired up elsewhere as a part of the carefully coordinated European breeding programme. We hope to be able to play a vital role in increasing this species numbers and removing them from the vulnerable listing on the IUCN Red list.”
Photo Credit: Edinburgh Zoo
