Kentish Gazette Canterbury & District
Bird to take pride of place again
A rare bird emblazoned on the city’s coat of arms will make a long-awaited return after centuries away this week.
The chough, which was driven to extinction in Kent more than 100 years ago, will spread its wings in the county again today (Thursday).
It will appear at the Wildwood animal park in Herne Common, where attraction bosses have welcomed three of the red-billed birds.
Wildwood chief executive Peter Smith said: “The chough is an amazing bird – its aerial acrobatics can now thrill our visitors.
“The bird was driven to extinction by persecution and detrimental farming and land ownership systems.
“We can bring these magnificent birds back to Kent, but to make them thrive in our country- side we must make some major changes to how we use the land and the chemicals that we pour onto it.”
Lord Mayor of Canterbury, George Metcalfe, is set to release one of the trio into their new home at 2pm today.
As well as being on the city’s coat of arms, the chough is also adorned on the University of Kent crest.
Canterbury’s coat of arms is medieval in origin and appeared in official documents as long ago as 1380.
The coat of arms depicts a leopard, signifying Canterbury’s royal status, and three black choughs taken from the arms of Thomas Becket.
The chough, a member of the crow family, is one of the UK’S rarest birds and was deemed extinct across the entire country until a small population was discovered in Cornwall in 1990.
It is an acrobatic flyer and can be distinguished when flying by its finger feathers at the wing tips.
Wildwood’s team of keepers hope to establish a breeding programme for the birds and supplement it with a reintroduction project if deemed feasible.
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