The much needed rain that fell in Dubbo earlier this year has proved to be the perfect breeding conditions for critically endangered Plains-wanderer birds.
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Two Plains-wanderer chicks hatched on March, 8 at Taronga Western Plains Zoo.
They are the first born in Dubbo to the Zoo's conservation breeding program, that commenced in late 2018, to help save this unique species from extinction.
Plains-wanderer Keeper Mark O'Riordan said to welcome the very first chicks at the Zoo is a major milestone.
"There may be as few as 500 Plains-wanderers remaining in the wild and the ongoing drought may have impacted these numbers further, so every chick born is absolutely critical," he said.
"Both parents are from the wild and have not bred in the Zoo before, so their chicks are extremely important genetically for the future of their species.
Mr O'Riordan said Dubbo had seen very little rain since the program commenced, but the showers in January and February were favourable breeding conditions.
"Following the rain over the past couple of months we have witnessed active breeding behaviours with all of our breeding pairs. It would be great to get another clutch from a different pair, but at this stage we are over the moon with two chicks so far," Mr O'Riordan said.
Plains-wanderers can breed all year round provided the conditions are favourable.
They will generally hatch two to four chicks from up to five eggs in a clutch. The birds are fully independent from approximately two months of age.
Keepers are very hands-off with the Plains-wanderer population and will now monitor. Keepers the chicks' growth, behaviours and feeding via CCTV.
They won't know if they are male or female until their first health check occurs at six weeks of age.
"To date we have learnt a lot about this shy and naturally timid species having monitored our population closely for 18 months," Mr O'Riordan said.
"The more information we can gather and share with our partners will ultimately benefit the program and help save this species from extinction."
The Plains-wanderer conservation breeding program is part of the National Recovery Plan, aiming to establish a sustainable population that can support the reintroduction of wild populations.
The Plains-wanderer breeding conservation program at Taronga Western Plains Zoo is located behind the scenes in the 110-hectare Taronga Sanctuary, dedicated to the conservation of native species.
The Plains-wanderer facility includes 30 purpose-built aviaries.
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