The Denver Zoo’s two rare palm cockatoo hatchlings are starting to look a little more like birds and a little less (but not much) like something from “Fear Factor.”
“They look a little like pink- and-black pincushions,” says avian curator John Azua. “Their features will dry out over time.”
Meaning that the palm cockatoo chicks will become as elegant and raffish as their parents, with a jaunty salmon patch under each eye and sleek black plumage — provided all goes well.
Raising palm cockatoos is tough and a little intimidating. In their native habitat — Australia’s Cape York peninsula and New Guinea — the populations are small. In captivity, they’re notoriously finicky about breeding.
There are only about 50 palm cockatoos in North American zoos. The Denver Zoo’s two palm cockatoo chicks are among only three in captivity worldwide that hatched during the past 12 months.
Before the chicks hatched, Denver zookeepers removed the eggs and incubated them for 30 days. The adult palm cockatoos construct their nests from cottonwood branches they shred with their powerful beaks, and the cottonwood shards are so sharp that they can puncture eggshells. Instead, the zookeepers substituted wooden eggs.
When the chicks hatched — the first on Jan. 18, the second on Feb. 10 — the keepers shooed the adults into their outdoor enclosure, then swiftly swapped the dazed chick for the wooden egg. The exchange took less than three minutes, and the adults were none the wiser, Azua says.
So far, the chicks are thriving. The Denver Zoo has enjoyed success over the years with its resident palm cockatoos. The two newest chicks are among six that the two pairs have raised. Four were raised by the parents, and two by zookeepers.
All four parents came from a 1983 federal seizure of 100 illegally owned palm cockatoos. The four were among 10 sent to the Denver Zoo after the raid. The rest went on to other zoos, following a quarantine period.
The Denver Zoo’s two palm cockatoo hatchlings will remain in the nest for about three or four months. In comparison, it takes a robin chick about 12 days from hatching to leaving the nest.
Right now, the palm cockatoo chicks totter from milestone to milestone. The older one is beginning to hiss when zookeepers peek at the nest. The hiss is a defensive gesture that Azua welcomes warmly — sort of the avian equivalent of a baby’s first smile.
The chicks are eating the same diet — nuts, seeds and fruit — as their parents. Their beaks are not yet hard enough to crack nutshells, so the parents feed them predigested food.
When the chicks are old enough to leave the nest, Azua expects them to be around for a while.
“Cockatoos in general can live to age 80,” Azua says.
The palm cockatoo families are not on exhibit. When the chicks are older, visitors can see the families at the Nurture Trail display next to the avian propagation center on the west side of the zoo.
Claire Martin: 303-954-1477 or cmartin@denverpost.com
