You see a lot of animals in zoos. Not only captive animals, but also wild animals. They themselves choose a life in the zoo. It is a safe place and they often get a piece of the pie when the animals are fed or when visitors drop food.
In Naturzoo Rheine I came across this little family. A Moorhen couple with 5 chicks. They look special. At first I thought there was a twig caught in the down. But soon I saw on the next pictures that it was the wings. There is already a beginning of feathers. The huge feet also stood out. They could walk right over the water plants. They are not as cute as ducks and chicken chicks, but much cuter than coot chicks.
After the kids let themselves be fed by the parents and had eaten their fill, they went back to the nest. The nest is beautifully hidden in the reeds. You have to look closely to see it.
Chicks of ducks and chickens look for their own food as soon as they come out of their egg. Moorhens and coots allow themselves to be fed by their parents for a long time. They’re very busy. But what an amazing sight!
These photos were taken here: