Conservation Corner Rare Endangered Bird Hatches at Houston Zoo

By: Jessica Reyes HoustonZoo.org

As appreciative supporters of nature and wildlife, we at Houston PetTalk want to promote education and conservation of the world’s animal population. Each month we bring you information on conservation efforts that are of special interest or have some connection to Houston through the Houston Zoo. This issue, we highlight endangered bird conservation at the zoo. Look for other upcoming conservation stories so that you too can help save a species.

The Houston Zoo is thrilled to announce the hatching of a rare curassow chick and its important significance. This is the first time in almost 30 years that a wattled curassow hatchling is being raised by its parents at the Zoo. Wattled curassows are an endangered species, and each hatch is significant. The current zoo population consists of only 25 birds across five organizations within the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), and six of those birds live at Houston Zoo. Guests can see the rare new hatchling staying close to its parents in the Savanna Aviary inside South America’s Pantanal.

Wattled curassows are a very rare bird from the Amazon rainforest and can be found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, and Peru. Their numbers in the wild are rapidly declining due to habitat loss, hunting, and predation. Parent-rearing this curassow species is not common within AZA organizations but has become more common in the past three to four years. Keepers were happy to observe the father of this hatchling sitting by the nest as the hen incubated without any signs of aggression and attributed that to the successful hatching. For the past 20 years, Houston Zoo has been one of the top zoos to successfully breed wattled curassow chicks and increase the numbers of the endangered spe-

The last time Houston Zoo had a parentreared wattled curassow chick was in 1994. At the time she was the only parent-reared wattled curassow, and the egg was removed from the parents and hatched in a hatcher before being put back under parents. That bird is retired as she is the second oldest living bird in this population at almost 29 years old and currently lives off exhibit.

With this species the males have white feathers and the iconic wattles and knobs, indicative of their name. It’s easiest tell females apart from the males by red, brown coloration on their feathers. Wattled curassows are distinct vocally

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and produce a whistling that can be easily identified. By visiting Houston Zoo, guests are helping to save wild birds, like the curassows in South America. A portion of each Zoo membership and ticket helps the Zoo provide support for replanting trees in South America. The Zoo is also helping birds by serving Bird Friendly® coffee. Bird Friendly coffees are grown in a way that provides shelter and a variety of foods for birds and other wildlife. Bird Friendly® coffee farms rank just beneath virgin rainforest in terms of their importance as habitat for wild birds.