SOUTHWEST MIAMI-DADE, FLA. (WSVN) - Zoo Miami had several eggs for unique bird species from tropical America, Asia and Africa hatch just in time to celebrate their first Mother’s Day weekend.
The first of those hatchlings was a cinereous vulture, which hatched April 21, zoo officials said.
The vulture is known to be one of the heaviest flying birds in the world, with some weighing more than 20 pounds. Their wingspan can also reach nine feet. They are normally found in isolated regions of Europe, Asia and the Middle East.
A harpy eagle was born two days later and is being raised by its parents in the harpy eagle habitat at Zoo Miami’s “Amazon and Beyond” exhibit.
Zoo Miami is the only accredited zoo in the United States to be successfully breeding the raptor. Harpy eagles are considered to be powerful birds with talons the size of grizzly bear claws, who feed on a variety of canopy wildlife, like sloths and monkeys, in the forests of tropical America.
The last of their recent additions were a pair of Abdim’s storks, who hatched on April 27 and 28. The Abdim’s storks are among the smallest species of storks that reach a height of only three feet. They can be found in a variety of regions in Sub-Saharan Africa.
These storks are recognized by their blue face and bright red patch adjacent to each eye. The chicks can be seen in their nest from the public viewing areas in the zoo’s aviary.
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