Extremely rare birds successfully hatch at Bristol Zoo

Chicks of two endangered species of bird have successfully hatched at Bristol Zoo.

Bristol Zoo Project has welcomed a Socorro Dove, a species extinct in the wild, and a male Visayan Hornbill, which is listed as Endangered by IUCN, in July.

The Visayan Hornbill chick that has hatched at Bristol Zoo Project (Bristol Zoological Society).

The zoo's curator Trevor Franks said they were proud to "play a key role in conservation breeding programmes", adding that it was "fantastic" news and that breeding Visayan Hornbills at the site for the first time was a "major achievement".

Visayan Hornbill is native to the Visayas archipelago in the Philippines and the new chick is expected to fledge over the coming weeks.

The gender of the Socorro Dove chick is yet to be determined, but it is the first offspring for the zoo's pair of doves. This species was endemic to Socorro Island off the west coast of Mexico and last sighted in the wild in 1972.

The two species were moved to the site, formerly known as the Wild Place Project, earlier this year after the closure of the Bristol Zoo Gardens site in Clifton in September 2022.

Mr Franks added: "We hope to breed many more threatened bird species from the individuals we brought across from our Clifton site."