A colony of the protected ‘Red Ibis’ in Dierenrijk has given birth to some thirty to forty young ones in the past month.
Dierenrijk has the largest colony of birds in a European zoo. In total, there are 103 adult birds in the Mierlose zoo. Because Dierenrijk keeps the birds free without interference , it is not clear how many birds have been born. The zoo states that the birds are counted at the end of the year.
The red ibis abound in the coastal areas of northern South America. In the mangrove area they nest in large colonies. The bird is named ‘Red Ibis’ because it has red plumage. However, young birds look very different: when they hatch, they have greyish brown feathers with a white belly.
Red colour
When the chicks are between two and three years old, the red colour slowly appears.
Source: www.studio040.nl
Translation: Chaitali Sengupta, who gives ONLINE Inburgering classes.
