Rare Crested Coua Chick Hatches At Central Park Zoo

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) - The Central Park Zoo welcomes a new addition.

A rare crested coua chick has hatched at the Wildlife Conservation Society's Central Park Zoo.

The chick features markings inside its mouth that will fade as the bird matures.

The markings inside the coua's beak are unique to each individual chick and are believed to be used by the parents for identification or as a target to aid in feeding, according to the WCS.

Crested couas are a species of cuckoo native to Madagascar. Although widespread in their native range, they are rare in U.S. zoos, according to the WCS.

With this successful hatching, the Central Park Zoo is only the fourth zoo in the U.S. to have successfully reared a coua chick.

There are less than 40 crested couas in U.S. zoos.

The Wildlife Conservation Society has field conservation programs within the crested coua's range in Madagascar - and in nearly 60 countries and all four of the world's oceans, according to the group.

For more information on where to make donations in support of helping save wildlife and wild places, click here.

Will you go see the new crested coua chick at the Central Park Zoo? Let us know in the comments section below...