Rhea-lly good news

26/05/2017 in Edinburgh Zoo

RZSS Edinburgh Zoo bird keepers are delighted to announce the arrival of three Darwin’s rhea chicks. The three chicks can be seen running around the enclosure alongside dad, Ramon.

Bird Section Team Leader Colin Oulton, said “We are really excited to see the three chicks doing so well and following dad around the enclosure. A Darwin’s rhea can run at speeds of up to 37mph so our keepers will soon be easily outpaced by the new arrivals.”

“With rheas it is the male that does all the egg incubation and rearing and, so far, dad Ramon has been doing a fantastic job. Rhea chicks grow very quickly and our chicks are already finding their stride. We are carefully monitoring them and can’t wait to see them become more confident and begin to take on their own personalities.

“We have had great success breeding our rheas in the past and to have chicks again this year is a great testament to the hard work the team have put in.”

Darwin’s rhea are ratites, a group of flightless birds that includes the African ostrich and the Australian emu. Although the species has been recently reclassified by the IUCN as of least concern, the population is reportedly decreasing. Some of the major threats to this species include hunting, egg-collecting and persecution by human populations, as well as habitat destruction from farming and conversion of land for cattle grazing.