New Hope For Critically Endangered Parrot Species As Chicks Born At Chester Zoo

New Hope For Critically Endangered Parrot Species As Chicks Born At Chester Zoo. Two extremely rare baby parrots have hatched at Chester Zoo in what conservationists say could be a “pivotal moment” for their species. The precious pair are Mitchell’s lorikeets - one of the world’s rarest birds. The Mitchell’s lorikeet was once found on the Indonesian islands of Bali and Lombok, but recent searches have found only a handful of birds remaining. In 2020, a group of conservationists set out on an expedition to find the last remaining populations and recorded only seven birds living in Bali. Extensive hunting and trapping for the illegal wildlife trade has driven the drastic decline in numbers. Experts say that the two chicks will join an endangered species breeding programme for the species. Zoe Sweetman, Parrot Team Manager at the zoo, said: “The hatching of two Mitchell’s lorikeet chicks is pivotal moment for the species, especially as its future on the planet hangs in the balance”. “Given how precious the chicks are, we’ve been monitoring them very closely and weighing the duo regularly to give them every chance of fledging the nest and reaching adulthood”. The Zoo is now home to 12 Mitchell’s lorikeets at Chester - more than are found in the wild. Zookeepers will determine the sex of the important new arrivals by testing DNA samples from their feathers.