Prague Zoo announced on 8 October 2026 the first rearing of an orange-breasted lorikeet in Czech zoos; the male hatched on 27 May 2026.
Prague Zoo announced on 8 October 2026 that it had succeeded, for the first time among Czech zoos, in rearing a chick of the orange-breasted lorikeet. The male hatched on 27 May 2026 after an incubation of about twenty days. Keepers identified the sex by the orange breast patch that males have. The chick is being cared for by its parents, who had no previous experience of rearing young. The zoo's spokesperson provided the information.[1][2]
Keeping of the species in Prague
The zoo has kept the orange-breasted lorikeet since 2018, when it acquired its first birds from the specialised bird park Walsrode Bird Park in Germany. Visitors have been able to see the species since 2022 in an exhibit on the Papouščí stezka. The first chick hatched in Prague in 2023, but died the next day. According to the zoo, three other institutions in Europe keep the species besides Prague.[1][2]
At four months of age the chick is, according to the keepers, in good condition and remains in the zoo's off-exhibit area, where it has conditions that meet the needs of the species.[1][2]
Other lorikeet species
The zoo acquired red-chinned lorikeets in 1997 and has reared more than thirty of them since the first rearing in 2003. The keepers first bred the golden-eared lorikeet, which lives in the Rákosův pavilon, in 2022; according to the zoo, it is so far exhibited in continental Europe only by Prague.[1][2]
Keeping several species makes it possible to entrust a chick to an experienced pair of another species. In this way a red-chinned lorikeet chick is growing up with golden-eared lorikeets in the off-exhibit area. Two years ago, a golden-eared lorikeet chick was cared for by red-chinned lorikeets.[1][2]
The species
The orange-breasted lorikeet is the smallest species of lorikeet. It lives in New Guinea and the surrounding islands, and fig pulp plays a significant part in its diet. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, it is a species of least concern; its real status is, however, difficult to assess, because little data exists on a species living in remote rainforests.[1][2]
Related articles: Prague Zoo
Chronology
- — On 8 October 2026 Prague Zoo announced that it had become the first zoo in the Czech Republic to rear a young orange-breasted fig parrot; the male chick hatched on 27 May 2026 and is being raised by its parents. Pražský patriot Pražský deník
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Sources
- Pražský patriot — 8 October 2026
- Pražský deník — 8 October 2026