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Day-Old Plains-Wanderer Chicks Take Speedy First Steps at Werribee Open Range Zoo

Four tiny plains-wanderer chicks hatched at Victoria’s Werribee Open Range Zoo on November 4, representing a huge milestone in fighting the extinction of the critically endangered native species.

The little birds, although only a day old in this footage caught on a specially placed “zookeeper cam,” zip around on their long legs like road-runners, occasionally snuggling into their dad for warmth.

A zoo spokesperson said plains-wanderers eggs are incubated by the dad, while mum wanders off to find another mate. There are less than 1,000 of these birds left in the wild and these chicks are the first to have been successfully bred in captivity in Victoria. Credit: Werribee Open Range Zoo via Storyful