19-06-2025
Rare chicks ‘once shrouded in mystery' hatched in Brazil. See ‘blue-eyed' babies
In 2015, an ornithologist conducting field work in Brazil heard a sound he hadn't heard before.
It was the call of a bird, and hoping to identify it, Rafael Bessa recorded the sound and played it back.
Then, a blue-eyed ground dove appeared for the first time in more than 70 years, according to the American Bird Conservancy.
In the years since the rare bird's rediscovery, researchers and wildlife officials have been working across the globe to try and protect the critically endangered species.
From the Chester Zoo in the United Kingdom, bird experts flew to Brazil to help the species take another step forward.
'Conservationists are celebrating the successful hand-rearing of a trio of blue-eyed ground doves (Columbina cyanopis), a rare species found only in Brazil,' the Chester Zoo said in a June 18 news release. 'With fewer than 11 adults left in the wild, the successful breeding of these chicks brings hope for the future of the species.'
Researchers are learning more about the species 'once shrouded in mystery,' the zoo said, as well as what has been threatening their population.
A team selected a few wild-laid eggs to try and incubate in a 'specially designed breeding facility' to provide 'around-the-clock care and attention' to the 'tiny and delicate birds,' according to the release and a June 18 Facebook post.
'The hope is that once the blue-eyed ground doves reach maturity, they'll begin breeding in their specially designed aviaries at Parque das Aves, growing the insurance population for the species,' the zoo said. 'The long-term vision is to build a strong, self-sustaining population that will help secure the future of the blue-eyed ground dove in the wild.'
The species was once plentiful in Brazil's savanna, or Cerrado, until farming and timber plantations took over the landscape, according to the zoo.
Today, the species is only found in Botumirim, Minas Gerais, in east-central Brazil, the zoo said.
Blue-eyed ground doves are known for their cinnamon-colored feathers and their vibrant blue eyes, matched by blue spots on their wings, according to the American Bird Conservancy.
The doves eat seeds and small insects found living in the soil, the conservancy said, and relies on native grass species to provide a habitat for its prey. Their population is also near freshwater and has been seen foraging in the shallows for food.
'Seeing these chicks is exciting. Each hatching represents a real chance to reverse the fate of this species. It is a joy and also a great responsibility. With the arrival of these three new individuals, Parque das Aves is now home to six blue-eyed ground doves. All are being carefully monitored and are part of a coordinated reproductive management plan,' Paloma Bosso, technical director of Parque das Aves, said in the release.
Chester Zoo is in Chester, in west-central England.
The Parque das Aves is in southwestern Brazil, near the borders with Paraguay and Argentina.
