While there are many kinds of endangered birds right now, the rarest one yet is what we call the dinosaur bird. This magnificent creature is protected and is cared for under the watchful eyes of experts who are constantly checking on him.
The bird’s name is Abou. What the scientists want is for Abou to find her lifelong mate so she can have children that will continue her line. Unfortunately, finding a mate hasn’t been easy for her. She’s been given that home for that one perfect partner, and we are all waiting with bated breath along with her.
There’s an extremely rare ‘dinosaur’ bird now and this is the only one there is in the UK. The bird is patiently awaiting a new mate as Exmoor Zoo tries to do everything and help save this shoebill species of bird.
She recently came to the U.K. via the Pairi Daiza Zoo in Belgium where she was a newborn. She was the star in their international breeding program as she was the only one for her kind.
Abou is a different-looking bird. She is extremely unique and is one of only eleven shoebills that are in captivity. This bird has been under threat and that’s because they are monogamous. When they do carry a child, it usually involves just one chick. Aside from its breeding pattern, climate change also played a big role to its dwindling population. In fact, there are only about 5,000 of this out in the wild right now.
Right now, Abou is 14 years old. She’s been greeting her keepers by bowing and spreading her wings. The experts say that this is a courtship ritual that’s common to the breed.
Sadly, she’ll have to wait until they are able to find her a male that can match with her in order for them to produce an offspring that they hope will come soon. Derek Gibson is an Exmoor Zoo Curator. He is extremely excited to live in the same vicinity for now so he can observe her further.
“She is magnificent to behold…and if we can keep her well and she thrives – when a male does become available, then he will also come and join us at Exmoor Zoo,” Gibson said.
Abou is about 4 feet tall (1.2m) and weighs 12 pounds. Her wing span is double her height. Her species is also called whale heads because these types of shoebills have one of the largest and most unusual bills found in the bird kingdom. Many of them had lived in the marsh lands of East Africa where they can find fish and small invertebrates as food.
Derek said that he had waited 40 years for the ‘amazing moment’ when he finally laid eyes on a shoebill ‘in the feather’. He said, “In reality, I’ve never been in a position to see these amazing birds in the wild.”
“They live in countries in central and eastern Africa – like Uganda, Zambia, Tanzania – which are prone to extended periods of drought, so there is a huge intensity on animals and people who are having to compete for the same environment.”
He also added, “These birds do have their work cut out for them, which is why it is so important to offer Abou a home and put ourselves forwards to try and do our bit.”
“They have a life expectancy of 35 years – so our Abou is still a teenager, and we love her very much.”
We can only hope that they finally find a perfect mate for Abou so that more of her kind will appear in in many parts of the world.
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