SYRACUSE, N.Y. (March 25) - It's called a white-crested laughing thrush and it's bringing smiles to zookeepers in Syracuse.
The Rosamond Gifford Zoo greeted a new bird March 7. The chick is named Zephyr.
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Animals in the News
Chanel, a white dachshund who held the Guinness world record for oldest dog, died Aug. 28 at age 21. Earlier this year, her owners said she was in good health, with the exception of sunglasses she had to wear for cataracts.
Meredith Daniels, Newsday / MCT
Meredith Daniels, Newsday / MCT
The birth came as a surprise to zookeepers, who have had no success breeding white-crested laughing thrushes. Zoo officials say the chick is one of only three born in captivity in the U.S. over the last year.
The birds are commonplace in Southeast Asia, South China and East India and were once widely imported into the U.S., but avian influenza worries forced zoos to stop importation.
White-crested laughing thrushes are cooperative breeders, so the zoo's three adult birds are helping feed the newborn.
That's right: Zephyr has three parents. It's still a mystery just which ones are mom and dad.
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Latest From the Zoo
SAN FRANCISCO - JULY 27: A Guinea Pig named Oreo sits in the grass at the San Francisco Zoo July 27, 2009 in San Francisco, California. Disney's new blockbuster film G-Force, which features computer generated Guinea Pigs that save the world, has animal activists worried that people will rush out to buy the small pet only to turn around and abandoned it soon after realizing that guinea pigs require an investment of time to care for them. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
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