Eight "Extinct" Socorro Doves Hatch at Chester Zoo

Eight chicks belonging to a dove species that has been extinct in the wild for decades have successfully hatched at Chester Zoo – boosting survival hopes for the incredibly rare Socorro Dove.

Currently, all 200 remaining Socorro doves (Zenaida graysoni) are cared for in zoo conservation-breeding programmes across Europe and North America, which are working to pull the species back from the brink. The specie

Chester Zoo’s eight chicks that hatched this summer are healthy, with some now fully fledged, with a chance for another valuable clutch to be laid soon.

What wiped out the Socorro Dove?

Socorro doves originally lived on Socorro Island off the coast of Mexico, but a mixture of factors led to their extinction in the wild.

Andrew Owen, head of the bird department at Chester Zoo, said: “Historically, the Socorro dove had few natural predators, and the island remained uninhabited by people. Sheep introduced in the 1800s caused extensive damage to the wild vegetation and in 1957 a naval base was established on the island. Naval staff and their families brought domestic cats which became feral and caused tremendous damage to the native wildlife, including the Socorro dove population, which was last seen in the wild in 1972.

“Sadly, the Socorro dove was overlooked by conservationists for many years and if it wasn’t for the efforts of a group of German aviculturists, who created a breeding programme for the species, it would have been lost forever. In 1995, the Socorro dove conservation breeding programme was formally established when the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA) approved it as a European Endangered Species Programme (EEP).”

Although the species is not set to be reintroduced into the wild any time soon, vital steps are being taken toward this ultimate goal including establishing breeding projects in Mexico. If the species can be reintroduced succesfully, it will represent another avian species that has been saved, in part, because of its position in private collections and the collaboration between private keepers and zoological institutions over decades.

Captive Breeding Socorro Doves

Almost nothing is known about the wild breeding behaviours of Socorro doves, meaning the research conducted by Chester Zoo and other participating EAZA zoos is exceptionally valuable. Unlike other species of doves, Socorro doves do not live in flocks, preferring to pair off or live individually. They also share chick-rearing duties.

Clare Rafe, the assistant team manager for birds, said:: “It’s a 50-50 arrangement most of the time, but we have found the females will raise their chicks up to a point and then become ready to mate again, so they’ll start raising a new clutch of eggs before the first have fledged.

“It’s very intense for them, but it’s a way of increasing their numbers rapidly – which they need to do to survive. In the wild, they would only have perhaps a two or three-month nesting window between storms and heat waves.

“When that happens, the fathers take over with the older chicks, feeding them and caring for them. The males can be quite territorial and aggressive, which makes pairing them tricky, but we’ve found one of them has transferred that into protectiveness for his chicks.”

“We’ll keep looking after these amazing birds. They might look quite plain and brown from a distance, but they have what looks like shimmery blusher on their heads. They have big personalities, too, with the males being a bit aggro – they certainly aren’t peace doves!”