Small feathered "balls" at Chemnitz Zoo
Ostrich quail chicks on display in the tropical house
Even before Easter, you can go in search of small feathered "balls" in the Tropical House at Chemnitz Zoo. The ostrich quails, often described as spherical, have offspring. As the cock and hen look after the young together, the five chicks can always be seen walking around the hall close to their parents. They are now picking their own food, just as their parents show them. However, ostrich quails have a special feature: Unlike many other chicken birds, the adult ostrich quails hold the food in the tip of their beaks for the young birds during the first few days of their lives.
As is usual with pheasants - to which they belong - the sexes of ostrich quails also differ clearly in their plumage colouring. The females are not as strikingly coloured as the males. Initially, the young also all have a rather inconspicuous plumage colouring, which contributes to camouflage. Later, the males acquire their conspicuous reddish-brown crest.
The ostrich quail, which is native to South-East Asia, has a relatively large distribution area, but populations are declining as a result of the ongoing destruction of forests. As a result, the species has been categorised as endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species since 2004 - the first of three endangerment categories. This makes the successful and coordinated breeding of such endangered species all the more important. This species has been successfully kept and bred at Chemnitz Zoo for many years.