A rare Papuan hornbill chick has hatched at Moscow Zoo, the third of its kind to be born there, according to the city’s mayoral and government website.
The chick’s parents are named Nun and Ra, RIA Novosti reported. After spending several months in the nest following hatching, the young bird now lives with its parents in the Bird House pavilion on the zoo’s old grounds. The chick has been identified as male.
He has already grown to match his parents in size. The only sign of his youth, according to the zoo, is the absence of a casque on his beak.
Papuan hornbills belong to the hornbill family and live in the wild in the tropical forests of the southern Maluku Islands. The birds are diurnal and known for loud calls. Their diet includes mango, papaya, kiwi, bananas, grapes, pears, persimmons, other fruits and berries, vegetables, protein foods, and a special compound feed.
