'Breakthrough' as rehomed falconet lays eggs

One of the world's smallest birds of prey has laid eggs in a Cornish wildlife sanctuary.

Paradise Park Wildlife Sanctuary said it held the only collared falconets in UK and EU zoos after an attempt was made to bring them into Europe illegally.

Two females and one male were rehomed at the sanctuary in early 2021.

Curator David Woolcock said staff were celebrating a "breakthrough" as one of the falconets laid eggs for the first time at the park.

However, it is not known which falconet laid the eggs.

Mr Woolcock said: "We are leaving them alone and not disturbing them to give them the best chance, so will be a little while before we know if the eggs were fertile and have hatched.

"But even getting to this stage is a breakthrough."

Mr Woolcock said the birds could not be returned to the wild so they were given a home in the sanctuary.

The birds have a large distribution across Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal and Thailand.

They feed on insects including cicadas, dragonflies, bees and butterflies.

The collared falconet is also known to feed on small birds.

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