It is believed that there are only around 500 individuals of the species remaining
Blackpool Zoo(Image: Andrew Teebay/Liverpool Echo)
Three critically endangered animals have been successfully reared at a zoo just over an hour’s drive from Liverpool. For only the second time, tiny rare birds have hatched at Blackpool Zoo, marking an important milestone for the species’ survival.
The Blue-crowned laughingthrush chicks represent a significant boost for the global population. It is estimated that only between 50 and 249 birds remain in the wild, with a further 313 living in zoos and conservation collections worldwide. In the past year, just 48 chicks have been successfully hatched across the globe.
Their parents, Rupert and Melody, shared incubation duties throughout the 14-day period before the chicks hatched on Saturday, April 25. Since then, the pair have worked together to rear their young.
Although small in size, Blue-crowned laughingthrushes are renowned for their powerful voices. Visitors to the zoo have been captivated by the fledglings’ distinctive and beautiful song, which can often be heard throughout their aviary.
Luke Forster, Deputy Section Head at Blackpool Zoo, said: “These stunning birds are some of the most endangered on the planet, and the three chicks will play a critical role in the survival of their species.
The chicks shortly after they were hatched
“All work carried out in zoos and collections across the world will help our colleagues working tirelessly on in-situ conservation programmes. With a total population of less than one thousand individuals, they are in real danger of becoming extinct due to excessive and strongly culturally rooted consumption of wild songbirds for trade, competitions, pets, export, traditional medicine and food.
“We introduced the Blue-crowned laughingthrush, along with several other species of highly endangered songbirds, in 2019 as part of our support for the European Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Silent Forest campaign, which is dedicated to raising awareness of the plight of songbirds in Asia.
“It has been wonderful to watch Rupert and Melody raise the three chicks, and I am looking forward to listening to all five of them singing their hearts out all summer.”
Laura Gardner and Colleen Lynch, Curator of Birds at Riverbanks Zoo and Garden in the US, are co-convenors of the Blue-crowned laughingthrush Global Species Management Plan.
The team at Blackpool Zoo worked closely with Laura to identify a suitable breeding pair. She said: “The heartbreaking reality for this species is that it is in real danger of becoming extinct if efforts to save them don’t work.
“The breeding programme in zoos and other collections is vital to ensure there are enough genetically suitable groups to learn from and to reintroduce into the wild.
Rupert, the dad to the chicks
“Parent reared birds are particularly important as they will learn all the correct behaviours from their upbringing, which will help them when it comes to having their own young in the future.
“Blackpool Zoo is one of our many shining examples of UK zoos that are working tirelessly to help this, and many other, endangered songbirds.”
Blackpool Zoo is home to two of the world’s most endangered birds, one being the Blue-crowned laughingthrush and other being the Bali Myna, which has just 50 individuals left in the wild.
Other songbird species that reside in Blackpool Zoo’s Asian Songbird Aviaries include highlighted species include Javan Sparrow, Chestnut-backed Thrush, Mountain Peacock-pheasant, Luzon Bleeding-heart dove, Red tailed laughing thrush, Emei Shan Liocichla, White-rumped Shama and the Black-naped Fruit-dove.