A tiny, blue chick from the biggest species of pigeon in the world has just hatched at Chester Zoo.
The Victoria crowned pigeon baby is already walking alongside its blue-and-purple mother in its enclosure.
Posting footage of the little chick on Facebook, Chester Zoo said: “Bright blue, rocking the best mowhawk and already strutting its funky stuff!”
Mark Vercoe, assistant curator of birds, said: “Along with the Nicobar pigeon and the tooth-billed pigeon, the Victoria crowned pigeon is a descendant of the dodo – a bird that has been famously lost from the planet because of the actions of humans.
“Hopefully this chick can help us to highlight how important it is that we act for wildlife now; we cannot possibly let these beautiful birds go the same way as their extinct cousins.”
Native to Indonesia and New Guinea, the chick already boasts a crown of lacy feathers on its head.
The species, which is listed as vulnerable to extinction, is supposedly named after Queen Victoria, who had a penchant for wearing elaborate, feathered headwear.
The baby pigeon will be similar to the size of a turkey when fully grown.
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