Rare and endangered bird hatches at Houston Zoo
The Houston Zoo is thrilled to celebrate one of its new fathers after the chicks of the rare Braided Myrtle Hatch hatch. It will be the first time in nearly 30 years that the zoo will raise a wattled melon chick by its parents. Wattled melons are an endangered species, and every hatch is meaningful. The current zoo population consists of just 25 birds spread across his five organizations within the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), six of which reside at the Houston Zoo. Guests can see rare newly hatched chicks close to their parents at the Savannah Aviary in the Pantanal of South America.
In this species, the female waffled melon incubates the eggs, while the male stays nearby to guard the nest. Males have white plumage and the iconic wattles and nubs that give them their name, while females have a reddish-brown body coloration. The wattled curacao has a distinctive call and is easily identifiable by its whistling.