Kori bustard (photo)

On June 15, 2011, history was made at the National Zoo’s Bird House when its 50th kori bustard chick (Ardeotis kori) emerged from its shell. The Zoo has bred kori bustards consistently since 1997; it is the fourth zoo in the world to hatch them. Although the International Union for Conservation of Nature lists these birds as a species of least concern, conservationists believe that populations are declining in eastern and southern Africa due to habitat destruction, illegal hunting and their inherent slow reproduction rate. Weighing in at 40 pounds, male kori bustards are the world’s heaviest flying birds.