Lincoln Park Zoo Asks Public To Vote On Name For African Spoonbill Chick
CHICAGO (CBS) -- An African spoonbill chick recently hatched at the Lincoln Park Zoo, and now needs a name.
The spoonbill chick hatched to parents Luke and Annabelle on Jan. 22 at the zoo's Regenstein African Journey, as part of the African Spoonbill Species Survival Plan.
The chick is doing well and surpassing developmental milestones. The zoo does not yet know if the chick is male or female.
Lincoln Park Zoo members submitted suggestions for names for the spoonbill chick, and now, the options have been narrowed down to five:
• Kijiko (kee-jee-ko), the translation of "spoon" in Swahili;
• Lukabelle, a combination of the names of parents Luke and Annabelle;
• Alba, for the spoonbill Latin taxonomic name, Platalea alba;
• River, for the spoonbill's native river habitat and Spoon River in Illinois;
• Kazinga, for the Kazinga Channel in Uganda where spoonbills are found.
The public can vote on one of those five names on the Lincoln Park Zoo website at lpzoo.org/spoonbill. Voting will close at midnight on Wednesday, February 24.
"African spoonbill chicks grow quite fast, with the chick becoming full grown and ready to leave the nest in about just six weeks", Lincoln Park Zoo Curator of Mammals Mike Murray said in a news release. "It's been extraordinary watching the chick grow and pass critical milestones".
The young spoonbill is the second offspring for Luke and Annabelle. The first hatched in June.
The African spoonbill has white plumage, a featherless red face, and long rede legs. The spoonbill's elongated bill extends to a flat bulge that looks like a spoon, which helps the birds catch fish, crustaceans, and insects. African spoonbills are found all around sub-Saharan Africa.
The Lincoln Park Zoo is closed to the public until March 4.