Two Mitchell's lorikeet chicks hatching at Chester zoo were a "pivotal moment" for the future of the species, says parrot team manager Zoe Sweetman.
Ms Sweetman said the zoo was now home to 12 Mitchell's lorikeets – more than what has been recently recorded in the wild.
Mitchell's lorikeets were once found on the Indonesian islands of Bali and Lombok, the zoo said, but there are "only a handful of birds remaining".
Ms Sweetman said the zoo has been monitoring the lorikeet chicks "very closely" and weighing the pair regularly to give them every chance of fledging and reaching adulthood.
Zookeepers said the sex of the new arrivals will be determined by testing DNA samples from their feathers at a later date.
In 2020, a group of conservationists set out to find the last remaining populations and recorded only seven birds living in Bali.
Extensive hunting and trapping for the illegal wildlife trade has driven the drastic decline in numbers and, as a result, the species is listed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and BirdLife International. The two chicks will join a breeding programme for the species, which was set up to form a vital safety-net population in conservation zoos across Europe.
Andrew Owen, head of birds at the zoo, said it had been working with the Cikananga Conservation Breeding Centre in Java for more than a decade, since many of Indonesia's bird have now largely disappeared.
"In the case of the Mitchell's lorikeet, it will be the role of conservation zoos like ours to provide a safe haven for the birds and, through specialised breeding programmes, secure their future and help bring them back from the brink," he added.
What are Mitchell's lorikeets?
The Mitchell's lorikeet (Trichoglossus forsteni mitchellii) is an endangered subspecies of the scarlet-breasted lorikeet. In recent decades, the Mitchell's lorikeet has suffered a steep decline in population due to the wild bird trade.
Where are they found?
Mitchell’s lorikeet was historically found only on the islands of Lombok and Bali in Indonesia. However, it was thought to have largely disappeared, due to capture for the international bird trade.
They feed mainly on nectar and are nomadic in response to the timing of flowering trees.
