The Minnesota Zoo welcomed its first babies of 2011 when two Crested Wood Partridge chicks or “roul roul” hatched on January 5. The Zoo is one of the most successful zoos in the United States for breeding/raising crested Wood Partridges. To ensure their health and safety, the tiny chicks are being cared for behind-the-scenes by the Zoo’s aviary staff. The chicks, which weighed approximately 12 grams at hatching, are continually gaining weight. Zoo keepers do not yet know the sex of the chicks. Since 1978 when the Minnesota Zoo opened, it has welcomed 234 chicks.

Photo credits: Minnesota Zoo