Endangered bird related to extinct Dodo born at Edinburgh Zoo

An endangered pigeon chick has been born at Edinburgh Zoo.

A rare chick of the closest living relative to the dodo has hatched at Edinburgh Zoo. Picture: Sian Addison.

Keepers have announced the rare Nicobar chick hatched on October 25.

The bird can now be spotted in the zoo’s Brilliant Birds walkthrough aviary.

The Nicobar pigeon is the closest living relative to the dodo and has extremely striking and colourful feathers.

The large, mainly ground-dwelling birds feature brightly coloured feathers, making it one of the more beautiful species among the pigeons and dove.

Sean Meechan, senior animal keeper at Edinburgh Zoo, said: “We are really pleased to see that the chick is doing well. Both parents have been keeping a watchful eye and will continue tending to it until it fledges at around one month old.

“We have a while to wait before the chick starts to show off its adult colouration, when it will begin to develop the white tail and dark green iridescent feathers that the species is famous for.”

Nicobar pigeons are classified as near threatened on the IUCN Red List with the species declining in numbers.

This is due to the many threats faced by Nicobar pigeon, including being hunted and trapped for food.

Despite having a wide distribution from the Indian Nicobar Islands to Papua New Guinea, the Nicobar pigeon is generally scarce throughout its range.

The species is most abundant on the smaller, less disturbed islands, which are increasingly being cleared for plantations, severely reducing preferred breeding and foraging habitats for the unique species.