Lincoln Park Zoo Hatches Rare Birds

By Rachelle Bowden in Miscellaneous on Jun 25, 2004 2:45PM

The Micronesian Kingfisher is a rare bird, quite possibly the most rare in the world. Which is why we're so excited about the Lincoln Park Zoo birdhouse participating in the Micronesian Kingfisher Species Survival Plan. The Kingfisher lives exclusively on Guam and is completely extinct in the wild, but the LPZ has hatched two of the birds so far. Before this spring there were only 59 birds in the world, all in captivity. The two chicks hatched by the LPZ were produced from a breeding pair in May and could one day produce offspring of their own who will live in the forests on Guam.

The Micronesian Kingfisher's extinction occurred when the brown tree snake, believed to have been carried to Guam on cargo planes during WWII, wiped out much of the island's population of Kingfisher, but not before the remaining 29 birds could be rescued in the 1980s. Those birds and their offspring are now part of an international breeding and reintroduction program.

LPZ's female Kingfisher is on two more eggs that are due to hatch about the 2nd week of July. The birds aren't on exhibit, which is cool with us because when these little birds are first hatched they look like tiny mutant icky sticky things.. but then in a few weeks in they become absolutely adorable.. and the Micronesian Kingfisher is quite beautiful as a grown adult. Chicagoist is hoping that with the LPZ's help (and the Brookfield Zoo is also participating in this program), the Micronesian Kingfisher Species Survival Plan is a success!

See also:
» ABC 7 Video Clip