The newborn has put on 4 1/2 pounds in a month and is always squawking about something – and zookeepers couldn’t be happier.
The Denver Zoo’s month-old Andean condor chick is a first at the zoo and one of two chicks born in captivity in the past year.
The endangered hatchling is still in the brooding stage, where his parents sit on him, making him a little harder to see, said John Azua, curator of birds for the zoo. Since his birth on May 13, the chick has put on weight and a fuzzy coat of gray feathers. He is also exploring the nest.
“You can start to see he’s starting to get a little more independent,” Azua said. The chick should leave the nest in the next month or two, Azua said.
This is the first offspring for parents Evita and Andy, and they have been attentive, said Amy Sarno, spokeswoman for the zoo.
“We’re really thrilled that the parents are raising their chick on their own,” Sarno said.
The chick will stay with his parents at the zoo for one to two years and then may move to another zoo to be paired with a female. Release into the wilds of South America is also a possibility.
The chick is expected to grow to the standard weight of about 30 pounds and stand about 4 feet tall with a wingspan of 11 feet, Azua said.
Staff writer Sara Crocker can be reached at 303-954-1661 or scrocker@denverpost.com.
