Zoodoo Zoo welcomes adorable swift parrot chick in breeding program

In a small win for the critically endangered Swift Parrot, a Tasmanian zoo has bred a fluffy chick which is already flying around with its flock.

In a key win for the critically endangered swift parrot, a Tasmanian zoo has successfully bred a fluffy chick.

Zoodoo at Tea Tree, southern Tasmania, recently welcomed the small bird, which has already begun to show signs of the iconic green colour on its wings.

The zoo has eight of the birds in its care.

Staff weren’t expecting its young birds to breed until the 2022-23 season, but a pair of the parrots have nested and raised the single chick.

Zoo operations general manager Nick Atchison said the parents had been “exemplary” and the chick had progressed to flying in its habitat.

“Breeding this critically endangered species is a significant milestone for Zoodoo as we increase our involvement in state, national and international conservation initiatives,” he said.

“We hope that next breeding season will bring us even greater success with more pairs breeding and larger clutch sizes.”

As the cute parrot chicks grew, the zoo staff could continue monitoring their progress and in turn develop husbandry and breeding skills to help future conservation programs.

It is believed there are more swift parrots in human care than in the wild.

Zoodoo holds daily interactive presentations to learn how to identify the hard-to-spot species.