Critically endangered Philippine cockatoo hatches chick in Bird Paradise, first in a decade

A breeding pair of Philippine cockatoos at Bird Paradise hatched a chick for the first time in 10 years since being rescued in Palawan and brought to Singapore.

The critically endangered species, also known as the red-vented cockatoo, was once common throughout the Philippines but only exists primarily on the Palawan islands now due to illegal trapping wildlife trade and habitat loss, said the Mandai Wildlife Group and Mandai Nature in a statement on Oct 16.

Fewer than 750 of these mature cockatoos remain there, they added.

"These birds are notoriously difficult to breed in human care, so having this little one is both exciting and encouraging," said Anais Tritto, assistant vice-president of animal care (operations) at Mandai Wildlife Group.

She added that the fledgling is a reminder of how zoos can support species recovery by preserving genetic diversity and maintaining a safety-net population.

With the new chick, knowledge gaps can be filled in terms of pair bonding and parental behaviour, which can be useful to enhance breeding efforts.

According to the statement, the successful fledgling highlighted the importance of minimising human disturbance during the nesting phase.

Keepers only intervened when they discovered the chick outside its nest. They subsequently sent it for assessment by the veterinary healthcare team before transferring it to the Breeding and Research Centre to be raised by human carers.

Now four months old, the chick is cared for off-exhibit at Bird Paradise, where it is also beginning to learn how to fly.

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dana.leong@asiaone.com