The Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI) in the United States has hatched ten loggerhead shrike chicks.
These birds who are endangered in the US will be the first SCBI hatched chicks that will return to the wild. Once the chicks grow off they will move to the Toronto Zoo to participate in their reintroduction project.
Three sets of parents hatched these chicks with the three nests hatching on May 3, May 7 and May 8. Keepers have been monitoring them and observing that they are growing properly.
Currently the SCBI houses 22 loggerhead shrikes. Seven chicks were hatched by three pairs last year. Scientists at the SCBI are hopeful that more chicks will hatch in a few weeks as the parents are capable of having more than one clutch per breeding season.
Populations of these birds have decreased 70% with just 100 remaining in Virginia. 26 states list them as endangered and they are currently being considered for the Endangered Species List. Currently the SBI is working throughout Virginia and West Virginia to determine a cause for their sharp decline.
These small birds feed on grasshoppers and lizards which they have impaled on thorns or barbed wire. They are also referred to as butcher birds.
Photo Credit:
Top
Chris Crowe, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute
Middle
Warren Lynch, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute
Bottom
Chris Crowe, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute
