Pip has been growing up fast!

We’re egg-static! An endangered West African crowned crane chick has hatched at the Zoo. 

Our Africa team has been patiently waiting to welcome a chick since 2022 when our crowned crane duo, Royal and Goose, were officially paired up as part of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums Species Survival Plan (SSP) for their species. West African crowned cranes are endangered in their native African range due to habitat loss and other growing threats. This means every individual, like this little chick, are critical successes for the future of this species.    

Since being introduced, both cranes have displayed appropriate nest building and courtship behaviors. Soon after meeting, Royal began to lay her green-blue-colored eggs. 

Our veterinary team has been conducting routine radiographs each time Royal laid an egg to check for possible viability. Upon reviewing the radiographs for Royal’s most recent eggs, they all appeared to show no sign of life inside. However, after signs that it might be worth placing this particular egg in the incubator, a little beak broke its way through the shell! 

Our team was overjoyed when a healthy chick hatched. The little one, named Pip, started off behind the scenes to ensure they continued to grow well before being reintroduced to Mom and Dad. For the first couple of weeks, our team is fed the chick using a

The trio have been howdying to get comfortable with one another.

look-alike hand puppet, so Pip continued to associate food and crane behaviors with its parents. Our animal care team also played Royal and Goose’s vocalizations aloud, so that the chick could hear its parent’s calls. A companion chicken chick was also hanging out with our young crane to provide company.  

Then, once Pip had grown big enough, it was time to howdy, or introduce the birds through sight and sound but no contact. While the parents were showing positive behaviors, their parental instincts had not kicked in enough to fully care for the chick. For now, our animal care team is continuing to care for the chick, however, the trio are continuing to spend time together in adjoining stalls separated by mesh. This way, the chick will be able to bond and learn all the good bird behaviors from their parents while also getting a little helping hand from our team until they are fully independent.  

Our team has learned a lot from this experience, and our animal care teams are already making adjustments to their processes to ensure that our birds are set up for success should Goose and Royal continue to have more chicks.  

If all goes well, we may soon have this little family walking around their Expedition Africa habitat! We’ll be sure to share more updates in the future, including when you might be able to spot this family out and about.  

Brevard Zoo is an independent, not-for-profit organization that receives no recurring government funding for our operating costs. Your generous support enables us to continue to serve our community and continue our vital animal wellness, education and conservation programs.