SEATTLE — For the first time ever, spur-winged lapwing chicks have hatched at the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle.
Zoo officials said the four chicks hatched during the last week of June.
>> Related: Baby gorilla bonds with father for first time at Woodland Park Zoo
The chicks are only a few inches tall, and officials said their legs make up half of their height. Their parents are about a foot tall.
Officials said their coloring allows them to blend into their surroundings to avoid predators.
The zoo said the “spur-winged” part of their name comes from their small claw hidden on the front facing “elbow” of each of their wings that allows them to defend themselves against predators.
The family lives on the east side of the zoo in the African Savanna Aviary, an area currently closed to the public because it is in an enclosed space.
The Woodland Park Zoo reopened to the public on July 1. Click here for more information.