ABILENE, Texas — Abilene Zoo has a new baby!
For the first time in 30 years, a secretary bird has been hatched on the property.
On June 15, the new two-three ounce bird was born to seven-year old Pam and nine-year old Jagger, a process that began earlier this year when the mother began collecting sticks and building a nest.
Last month, Pam laid her egg while Jagger helped in the incubation process.
“Secretary Birds are such majestic animals, I just love them. They’ve been my favorite animal at the Zoo since I can remember and I’m so excited that we have a baby,” Stan Chapman, Abilene Zoo Board Member said. “A lot of people don’t know about secretary birds. We have an opportunity to do more to educate the community about this chick and the plight of the species. We encourage everyone to come see the chick and learn about these snake-stomping birds!”
Since the baby was hatched, the two parents have been taking on parental roles of feeding and overall supervision.
It is difficult to see the baby in the habitat at the moment because of plants to protect them, but soon the bird will grow to be more than four feet tall.
Check out the zoo's website for more information.
