The Socorro dove chicks – credit, Chester Zoo SWNS
Conservationists have successfully hatched 8chicks in a bid to save an ultra-rare species of dove which has been extinct in the wild for over half a century.
Socorro doves are only cared for in zoo conservation-breeding programs across Europe and North America after they became extinct in 1972.
Experts at the Chester Zoo are now celebrating the arrival of 8 chicks, known as squabs, bringing fresh hope the species can be brought back from the brink.
Approximately 200 birds represent the entire surviving population and the zoo hopes another clutch of eggs might now also be on the way.
Chester Zoo cares for two breeding pairs and the chicks will bolster the insurance population of Socorro doves looked after by avian specialists.
“We have several chicks which have successfully reached independence, and the others are on the verge of being fledged,” said the zoo’s Clare Rafe, assistant team manager for birds. “We’ll keep looking after these amazing birds. They might look quite plain and brown from a distance, but they have what looks like shimmery blusher on their heads.”
“They have big personalities, too, with the males being a bit aggro—they certainly aren’t peace doves!”
Unlike other species of doves, Socorro doves do not live in flocks, preferring to pair off or live individually. They also share chick-rearing duties.
“It’s a 50-50 arrangement most of the time, but we have found the females will raise their chicks up to a point and then become ready to mate again, so they’ll start raising a new clutch of eggs before the first have fledged.”
“In the wild, they would only have perhaps a two or three-month nesting window between storms and heat waves. When that happens, the fathers take over with the older chicks, feeding them and caring for them.”
An adult Socorro dove in captivity – credit, Chester Zoo SWNS
Socorro doves originally lived on Socorro Island off the coast of Mexico, but a mixture of factors led to their extinction in the wild.
Andrew Owen, head of the bird department at Chester Zoo, said that historically, the Socorro dove had few natural predators as the island remained uninhabited by people.
“Sheep introduced in the 1800s caused extensive damage to the wild vegetation and in 1957 a naval base was established on the island,” said Owen.
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“Naval staff and their families brought domestic cats which became feral and caused tremendous damage to the native wildlife, including the Socorro dove population…”
“Sadly, the Socorro dove was overlooked by conservationists for many years and if it wasn’t for the efforts of a group of German aviculturists, who created a breeding program for the species, it would have been lost forever.”
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“In 1995, the Socorro dove conservation breeding program was formally established when the European Association of Zoos and Aquariums (EAZA). Without the valuable work zoos do, these species would be lost forever.”
It’s not the only dove species that Own has recently been involved in saving. A trio of blue-eyed ground dove chicks were successfully hand-reared in Brazil with help from Owen and his Chester Zoo team. Fewer of these birds remain on Earth than even the Socorro dove.
SHARE Chester Zoo’s Great Work With Our Planet’s Dove Species…