THREE adorable vulture chicks have hatched at a specialist bird of prey charity centre in Hampshire.

The hatching of three chicks at The Hawk Conservancy Trust is a hard-fought win for two of the world’s most threatened species of bird.

The two African White-backed Vulture chicks and one Hooded Vulture chick are among the most threatened species of birds globally.  

The recently hatched chicks are particularly important because they represent vital and substantial progress towards creating a sustainable safety-net population.

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The first White-backed Vulture egg was spotted by the team being sat on by parents Etosha and Talavera. The team was cautious because the pair did not have an established record of successful hatching. So, after careful consideration, the egg was taken to the charity’s National Bird of Prey Hospital in Andover to be incubated. 

The second African White-backed Vulture egg to be hatched this year comes with a heart-warming tale of inter-specific adoption which sees a pair of disappointed Cinereous Vultures stepping up to parent the young chick.

Although a well-bonded pair, Cinereous Vultures Thor and Aldara have sadly had a few failed breeding attempts due to their dangerous habit of creating two nests and then attempting to move their egg between them. The team needed to lend a hand – placing the egg in a safe incubator and giving Dad Thor and Mum Aldara a dummy egg to look after.

The egg was not fertile, so Thor and Aldara were left without a chick to rear. At the same time, the team was looking after a second African White-backed Vulture chick which could not be returned to its biological parents, and this gave rise to an idea which is rare in breeding programmes for birds of prey – to place the egg from one species with parents of another.

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Having been safely incubated and hatched with gentle assistance in the Trust’s National Bird of Prey Hospital the African White-backed Vulture was placed with Thor and Aldara.

Since moving in together at the Hawk Conservancy Trust in 2018, Hooded Vultures Vinnie and Nougat have taken their sweet time developing their relationship until this year when they finally felt close enough to produce an egg.

The pair’s bonding was so strong and their parenting so diligent that the team needed to do very little but watch in wonder on CCTV as their new chick was hatched in the family nest, high up in their outdoor space. 

As the breeding pairs experience and succeed with parenting, it adds fresh hope they these pairs can be expected to contribute future chicks to the breeding programme that could then add to the breeding stock internationally and move closer towards the potential for release back into the wild when conditions are improved.