New, Rare Dove Hatchlings Are a 'Source of Hope' for the Extinct-in-the-Wild Birds and a Step Forward in the Ambitious Project to Save Them

Carlyn Kranking | Associate Web Editor, Science

Add as preferred source This Socorro dove recently hatched at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. Conservationists have been undertaking a decades-long effort to breed the extinct-in-the-wild species and one day reintroduce it to its native Socorro Island in Mexico. San Diego Zoo Safari Park The first eggshell began to break on March 7. With the tapping of a little beak, a Socorro dove emerged into the world. Ten days later, a second bird hatched, and on April 23, another broke free of its egg.

Those three hatchlings, born at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, are a lifeline for their species. To people in North America, they might look like the related mourning doves, which are commonly seen in backyards and on telephone wires. But Socorro doves stand out for the shimmering, metallic-hued feathers on their necks—and for the fact that they’re exceptionally rare.