Rare creatures — with ‘laughter-like calls’ — hatch at Louisiana zoo. ‘Major victory’

Two rare creatures, with fewer than 300 left in the wild, hatched at a Louisiana zoo as part of efforts to bring the species back from the brink of extinction.

The baby blue-crowned laughingthrush birds mark a “major victory” for the species, the Audubon Zoo said in a July 19 news release.

The colorful birds, native to China, are known for their “laughter-like calls,” zookeepers said. But their unique calls have also made them the targets of illegal pet trading and songbird trapping, according to the New Orleans nature institute.

Scientists determined the population of wild birds is confined to a single province in southeast China, according to the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums.

Now, more than 60 zoos around the world are working to preserve the species, zookeepers said.

“These chicks are a true example of zoos holding the line against extinction,” Steven Whitfield, the Audubon Nature Institute’s director of terrestrial and wetlands conservation, said in the news release. “There are approximately 110 of the birds in human care across the U.S. and we hope to continue adding to those numbers to ensure genetic diversity of this species.”

The brother and sister will live with their first-time parents for at least a year, but after that point, the zoo said it will evaluate whether they’re needed elsewhere to breed with other members of their species.

“There are so few of these birds left, having successful hatchings in the future can make a critical impact,” the zoo’s assistant curator of birds Wendy Zolinski said in the release.

Visitors can see the blue-crowned laughingthrush family at the Louisiana zoo.