At the Moscow Zoo a chick hatched from a pair of paradise belladonnas, a small, striking bird that has drawn attention from visitors. A video showing the newborn alongside a playful puppy appeared on the zoo’s official Telegram channel, delighting followers online. The parents are a male named Raymond and a female named Angela, who have been living in the same enclosure since 2023, the year they produced their first chick. In that earlier season, after the egg was laid, staff moved it to an incubator and placed a wooden dummy on the female to prevent the egg from being damaged by the parents if they did not feel secure. For this latest clutch, the team opted to let the live egg stay with the mother, trusting the birds to brood naturally. Source: Moscow Zoo
During the 2023 sequence, the approach was to incubate the egg away from the nest and use the wooden dummy on the female to minimize risks. This time, keepers chose a different path, believing that letting the parents care for the egg would foster stronger bonding and give the hatchling a more natural start. The decision reflected the zoo’s ongoing effort to balance controlled care with natural parental behavior while watching for signs of distress. Source: Moscow Zoo
This summer, the incubation period lasted roughly a month, and experts monitored the parents closely to ensure everything proceeded smoothly. They found no reason to intervene, trusting the pair to manage feeding, warmth, and warmth sharing without human interference. Svetlana Akulova, the zoo’s general director, noted that this marks the first time in twenty years that a paradise demoiselle chick has hatched without direct zoologist involvement. The announcement underscored the success of natural parental care in this species. Source: Moscow Zoo
Experts explained that the sex of the chick is not yet known and can only be determined through a blood test. Until the results arrive, the gender remains undetermined, reflecting standard practice when visual cues do not reveal sex in birds. The development of the chick will continue to be observed as the family grows and adapts to parenthood. Source: Moscow Zoo
Previously at the Moscow Zoo, a chick was born to the Vatka and Poufik pairing, another example of the zoo’s ongoing breeding program for this species. These successes highlight the institution’s dedication to maintaining healthy populations and sharing updates with the public through official channels. The zoo continues to monitor nests, behavior, and growth, inviting visitors to learn about this delicate avian world. Source: Moscow Zoo