Colchester zoo announces arrival of new King vulture

Colchester Zoo welcomed a new King vulture chick back in May and the new animal has been spending the past few months getting used to its new surroundings. 

The chick's mother, Midas, has been at the north Essex zoo since 2015 when she arrived from the International Bird of Prey Centre in Newent.

King vulture chick at Colchester Zoo (Image: Colchester Zoo) Once hatched, the animal care team at the zoo monitored the egg by weighing it every three days to ensure the embryo’s development was on track.

Staff at the zoo said Midas has been a an incredibly attentive parent over the past few months and the chick has quickly grown into a 3kg fledgling, not that much smaller than its mum. 

King vultures are currently classed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

However, there has been a substantial decrease in wild populations - with the main threat being habitat destruction.

The chick is yet to be sexed or named by staff at the zoo, but a name is expected to be announced soon.