Rare ducklings hatch at Chester Zoo
Maccoa ducks are diving ducks often found in nutrient-rich wetland habitats, like freshwater wetlands and lakes.They are known for their stiff tails and deep-blue bills.The species is listed as endangered on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature's (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species.Habitat degradation, water pollution and climate change have been blamed for the species decline.
There are just twelve zoos in the world that look after Maccoa ducks. Andrew Owen, Head of Birds at Chester Zoo, said:"This success gives a real boost to the future of the species... These birds are facing rapid decline in the wild, so every hatchling really does count."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
14 hours ago
- BBC News
London Zoo's penguins and giant tortoises hit the scales on weigh-in day
What we've learnt from today's weigh-inpublished at 12:59 British Summer Time 12:59 BST Image source, EPA/Shutterstock With the big result announced, that's our portion of the weigh-in concluded. We only really got a small glimpse at the massive operation that goes on here in Regent's Park, with over 10,000 animals on site. From lemurs to giant tortoises, we've seen how the keepers deal with the challenge of tempting some of the zoo's residents onto the scales. (Spoiler: it usually involves snacks.) The rest of the Zoo's animals will be weighed over the next week, before results are shared with conservation organisations across the world. Before I head off to pet an alpaca, a huge thanks to London Zoo's team who've shared their work with us this morning. Thanks for reading.
BBC News
17 hours ago
- BBC News
Cuba: Saving the 'world's most beautiful snail'
These snails are certainly more colourful than the ones we tend to see in our gardens in the UK, but it's their beauty that has put them at risk of extinction. The Polymita tree snail is endemic to Cuba, which means they're found there. The endangered molluscs have vibrant and colourful patterned shells that make them desirable for people to collect and experts say the shell trade is pushing this species towards extinction, so they're on a mission to save them and learn their biological secrets. There are six known species of Polymita in Cuba, and all of them are at risk. The most endangered is the Polymita sulphurosa, which is lime green with blue flame patterns around its coils and bright orange and yellow bands across its are bought and sold as decorative objects, but every empty shell was once a living only are their shells collected for trade, but also their native forest habitat in Eastern Cuba is being affected by climate change and forest loss. Now scientists from Cuba and the University of Nottingham are teaming up to try and save the species. The biologists are curious as to how and why the snails have evolved such beautiful shells and, from that, understand how to help conservation efforts. Professor Angus Davison is one of the biologists from the University of Nottingham working on the project. He said: "You can easily imagine where people collecting shells would tip a population over into local extinction".Here in the UK, genetic research is taking place which will tell researchers all about their genome - the set of genetic material which contains all the instructions for its growth and function. It's hoped this information will help to understand how many species there are, how they are related to each other and what part of their genetic code gives them their unique colour patterns. This data will be shared with conservationists in Cuba, Prof Davison added."Eastern Cuba is the the only place in the world where these snails are found."That's where the expertise is - where the people who know these snails, love them and understand them, live and work."We hope we can use the genetic information that we can bring to contribute to their conservation."
The Independent
17 hours ago
- The Independent
Calls for ‘landscape-wide' action to protect butterflies amid falling numbers
Conservationists have called for 'landscape-wide' action to protect butterflies, as new official figures indicate declines of nearly a fifth since the 1970s. The latest annual update on butterfly monitoring published by the Environment Department (Defra) reveal abundance across all butterfly species has declined 18% in the UK and 19% in England over the long-term. The situation is even worse for specialists which need specific habitats such as flower-rich grassland, heathland and woodland clearings to thrive, with numbers declining by more than a third (39%) across the UK, and 25% in England. And some individual species of butterflies have seen numbers plummet by more than 80% since 1976, the monitoring suggests. Conservationists warn falls in the abundance of butterflies are a signal of problems in the wider environment, and reveal what is happening to many other insects that are a key part of ecosystems. The latest figures include 2024, which wildlife charity Butterfly Conservation's head of science Dr Richard Fox described as a 'terrible year for the UK's butterflies'. May last year was the warmest on record, but had notably low levels of sunshine, and overall 2024 ranked as the fourth warmest and eighth wettest year since the early 1900s, disrupting seasonal patterns essential to many butterfly species. The weather conditions hit butterflies which were already struggling with habitat loss and pollution, conservationists warn. Dr Fox said: 'With the addition of data from 2024, which was a terrible year for the UK's butterflies, these updated indicators reiterate the long-term decline of these beautiful insects. 'In particular, habitat specialists – butterfly species that rely on specific habitats such as heathland, woodland clearings or flower-rich grassland – have fared poorly since the 1970s as humans have destroyed and polluted these habitats. 'When we also factor in the implications of climate change, which is resulting in unpredictable extremes of weather, it is more important than ever that we take conservation action on a landscape-wide scale.' The data indicate nearly half (46%) of individual species that are restricted to certain habitats have seen declines in the UK, while 50% have seen numbers fall in England. Across the UK, heath fritillary has seen the most severe declines since 1976 with an 89% drop in abundance, while other habitat specialists including wood white, small-bordered fritillary, grayling and pearl-bordered fritillary have seen declines of 70% to 80%. The assessment from Defra said the main causes for the declines in habitat specialist butterflies were the loss, fragmentation and degradation of those landscapes, with more intensive agriculture also contributing to the drop in numbers. Many have not recovered from declines experienced in the late 1970s, which were partly as a result of the knock-on effects of the drought conditions in 1976, but a lack of suitable habitat after that is the main driver for persistent declines and lack of recovery since, it said. Butterflies found on farmland have declined by around a third in both the UK and England, with those that require the specific habitat to thrive seeing falls in abundance of 42% in the UK and 47% in England. Woodland butterflies have fared even worse with declines of more than half (54%) since the 1970s when monitoring began, with woodland specialist species declining by 55% in the UK and 57% in England. Butterflies have also seen short-term declines on farmland, with numbers falling 12% across the UK and 11% in England over the past decade, the figures suggest, while woodland butterflies have shown no significant change over the same period. But the findings also indicate some specialist species are on the increase, including black hairstreak, silver-spotted skippers, large heath, dark green fritillary, silver-washed fritillary and purple emperor. Officials said some recent increases could be attributed to targeted conservation action, while some species are benefiting from climate change which is allowing them to expand their range. Dr Fox urged: 'Looking at the specific conditions these species need to thrive and working to reinstate them where we can will offer some of these very vulnerable species an opportunity to recover.' Across more 'generalist' species, which are not restricted to specific habitats, there has been no change over the long or short-term, but the fortunes of individual species have differed wildly. Small tortoiseshell butterflies have seen falls of 86% between 1976 and 2024, while wall and white-letter hairstreak butterflies have seen almost as severe declines. But ringlet butterflies have increased by 273%, and holly blue and comma butterflies have also seen some of the largest increases in abundance over five decades, the figures suggest. Across the 50 species monitored across the UK, 44% have suffered declines since 1976, while 47% of the 49 species assessed in England have seen drops since then. Some 28% of individual species have increased across the UK and 24% have increased in England, the statistics indicate.
