Our Bird House team is celebrating the arrival of a ruddy quail dove squab—the first of its species to hatch at the Zoo! The parents arrived in October 2022; soon after, keepers introduced them into the Bird Friendly Coffee Farm aviary. The pair bred last month and produced two eggs on Jan. 6 and 8. Although both hatched on Jan. 19 and 20, respectively, only the larger and stronger of the two squabs survived.

Doves, like pigeons, are known for building nests in precarious locations. Thankfully, ruddy quail doves choose to spend most of their time on the forest floor. Our pair chose a secure spot in the center of a fern as their nest. They spent quite a lot of time foraging for the perfect nesting materials—including yellow leaves and twigs—and “tucking” them underneath the female while she sat on the nest. Both males and females incubate the eggs, with mom taking the day shift and dad working nights. Both feed their squabs, too, with “crop milk”—a mix of water, protein and fat.

Visitors can see our squab and its parents in the Bird Friendly Coffee Farm aviary. It might be hard to spot, though, as it blends in quite well with the forest floor. Keepers are eager to see if the chick will display a bright red plumage (indicating it is male) or cinnamon plumage (female)!

Want to learn more about the animals that live at the Bird House? Don't miss the daily animal demos at 10:30 a.m. and 11 a.m.!