Five critically endangered Brazilian merganser chicks have been born at Prague Zoo, the first members of the species born outside South America. Prague Zoo received five couples from Brazil in 2023 and on January 29 this year, two males and three females were born to one of them. The birds were believed to be extinct in the 1950s before a population was discovered in South America. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) puts Brazilian merganser numbers in Brazil and Argentina at up to 249 birds. The fish-eating anserines requiring streaming clear water have been hit by deforestation, water pollution and the construction of dams. Prague Zoo is hoping to expand the breeding programme to other European zoos before a reintroduction programme begins to reintroduce the birds to their natural habitat. IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES