A breakthrough with Collared Falconet eggs
A breakthrough with Collared Falconet eggs at Paradise Park Wildlife Sanctuary, the only place that holds Collared Falconets in UK and EU Zoos.
Curator David Woolcock explains ‘One of the smallest birds of prey, this group of Collared Falconets is here because an attempt was made to bring them into Europe illegally. They were seized by the authorities but sadly couldn’t be returned to the wild and we have given them a home.
They have been here since early 2021 and these are the first eggs to have been laid. We are leaving them alone and not disturbing them to give them the best chance, so will be a little while before we know if the eggs were fertile and have hatched. But even getting to this stage is a breakthrough.”
In the wild they have a very large distribution across Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal and Thailand.
They feed on many kinds of insects including cicadas, dragonflies, bees and butterflies, and will also catch and eat small birds. Holes in tree trunks created by woodpeckers or barbets are used to nest in.
More photos HERE