Zoo in Melbourne celebrates hatching of critically endangered chicks

(CBS, KYMA) - A zoo near Melbourne has welcomed the birth of four critically endangered plains-wanderer chicks following a successful breeding program.

While the species usually breeds in spring, their doting dad Ozzy made the most of the unusually temperate Melbourne winter to hatch four tiny chicks at Werribee Open Range Zoo.

A male plains-wanderer takes on most of the parenting labor, as once the female lays the eggs, he is responsible for incubating them.

"We know that in the wild, plains-wanderer females can have multiple clutches of chicks throughout the year," said life sciences manager Yvette Pauligk. "Until now, we hadn't seen breeding over winter in captivity, but the warm and wet autumn and winter conditions have proven ideal for reproduction."

Since 2017, the zoo has bred around 60 of these chicks.