Throughout the day, the dedicated team at Franklin Park Zoo takes turns visiting a small fluffy, striped kori bustard to make sure the month-old chick is getting enough exercise and reaching important developmental milestones.

Hatched on August 1, the female kori bustard chick is being raised by the Animal Care team to ensure it has the best opportunity to thrive. This is a significant hatch for this species, and marks the first successful hatch at Franklin Park Zoo since 2003.

The chick has been eating well and is continuing to gain weight daily, growing from 83 grams when it hatched to now more than 300 grams. There is a steady rotation of care team members who are ensuring that the chick receives enough exercise, which is critical to healthy development.

“Exercise for long-legged birds like cranes, storks and kori bustards is essential for proper development of their legs, muscles and behavior. In the wild, the chicks follow their parents all over grasslands and plains, and through the exercise schedule we have established, we are emulating that here,” said Bill Robles, Area Curator at Zoo New England.

Zoo New England’s Franklin Park Zoo is committed to the conservation of kori bustards, and this hatch was the result of a recommended breeding. Franklin Park Zoo is home to Onyx, a male kori bustard, and females M’Guu and Kibibi. When this chick is old enough it will move to another institution accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.

Native to southern and eastern Africa, kori bustards live in open grasslands and the lightly wooded areas of the savannah.  This species is one of the heaviest flying birds in the world, and adults can weigh more than 40 pounds. While these birds are classified as near threatened, they do face threats in the wild from human encroachment on their habitats.