TYLER, Texas — Thousands of animals call the Caldwell Zoo home in Tyler, and more are born every day. Meet some of the newest hatchlings!
These white-faced whistling ducklings were born behind the scenes at the Caldwell Zoo. Currently, they call the brooding center home, but they will eventually move to a bigger space.
"As they get older, we offer different kinds of feeding that would be more like what we'd have out on exhibit," said Nichole Moore, supervisor of birds. "They have access to water very, very early so they can start swimming around."
And pretty soon they will swim into their full time habitat. When these hatchlings are old enough, they will move to the lake new the front entrance of the zoo where they will join several other species of birds.
Right now, they are covered in a soft fluff, known as downy feathers. But as they grow, they will shed their baby feathers and replace them with adult feathers. That is what will make them them waterproof.
Familiar with the phase "like water off a ducks back?" That waterproofing is due to natural oil on their feathers.
For more behind-the-scenes zoo content, watch CBS19 on Fridays during Morning Y'all for the weekly segment, Exploring the Caldwell Zoo.