Rare pheasant chick hatched at Paignton Zoo

Paignton Zoo’s bird team are pleased to announce the successful hatching of a Rothschild’s peacock pheasant. With less than 60 individuals of the species in zoos worldwide, the new chick marks an important arrival for the breeding programmes of this elusive bird, classified as Vulnerable in the wild.

Zoo goers will need patience and a keen eye to spot the chick; its parents are one of the shyest species looked after at Paignton Zoo, and the new arrival is following in its parents secretive footsteps. Paignton Zoo has bred the species several times in the past, and although they’re not the most eye-catching bird at the zoo, they highlight one of their core beliefs that every species is important.

Steve Nash, Head of Campaigns and Programmes said: “In conservation circles, there’s a term – little brown jobs – coined by the late conservationist and author Gerald Durrell, to refer to species that are a bit plain, and which are easily overlooked.”

He continued: “One of the key roles of zoos is to raise awareness of the huge diversity of species that share our world. Our Rothschild’s peacock pheasants may not have the charisma and flamboyance of our parrots, toucan, or flamingos, but they’re still worthy of our efforts and attention, and they still need our help. And actually, although they may appear plain and brown at first glance, a closer look reveals an understated elegance that makes them really quite beautiful.”

To book tickets to visit the pheasant and the many other curious and endangered species Paignton Zoo is home to visit our tickets page.