April 16 (UPI) — The San Antonio Zoo in Texas shared a photo of its latest arrival — a newly-hatched pygmy falcon weighing barely more than a quarter.
The zoo announced the “pint-sized powerhouse” hatched March 18 and weighs just .23 ounces — just over the .2-ounce weight of a U.S. quarter.
“The tiniest predator with the biggest personality just hatched at San Antonio Zoo,” the zoo said on social media.
The chick is the 12th pygmy falcon to hatch in the zoo’s history, and the first since 2004. It is also the only pygmy falcon to hatch at a U.S. zoo in the past 12 months.
“Proud parents Squiggy and Laverne, both hatched at San Diego Zoo (Squiggy in 2023, Laverne in 2021), have now started their own little dynasty at San Antonio Zoo,” the zoo said.
The chick is being hand-raised by zookeepers at the NEST, the zoo’s facility for baby birds.
“With gray plumage and a chestnut patch on the female’s back, pygmy falcons are as striking as they are resourceful. They often nest in the homes of social weavers and protect them — though they sometimes prey on the weavers, too,” the post said.
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