A pair of great argus pheasants at Taipei Zoo have hatched two chicks, despite a large discrepancy in age between the two birds, the zoo said March 10.
The 15-year-old female, Berry, laid two eggs in mid-February, after being paired with Phoenix, aged 5.
The eggs were then removed by staff to check that they had been fertilized and for initial incubation, before being returned to the nest at the beginning of March.
Berry then continued to brood until the two chicks hatched March 9. After breaking out of their shells, the two infant birds stuck close to their mother, often hiding under her wings and making it hard for onlookers to spot them.
Phoenix originally came from Fonghuanggu Bird and Ecology Park at Taichung City-based National Museum of Natural Science. He was sent to Taipei Zoo to join its breeding program and broaden the gene pool of the argus pheasants at the facility. After spending a month in quarantine, he was paired with Berry.
The great argus is evaluated as near-threatened on the Switzerland-based International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species. It is also listed on Appendix II of U.S.-based Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.
One of the largest pheasants, great argus males reach up to 2 meters in length and 2.7 kilograms in weight. The birds reach sexual maturity at 3 years and typically live to 15. A typical clutch of two eggs is produced after 24 or 25 days’ gestation. (SDH)
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