Chick, Chick, Hooray! Zoo Welcomes Rare Pheasant Babies

And with a mating ritual like theirs, it's no surprise.

A zoo in England is celebrating the arrival of two rare pheasant chicks.

The pair of great argus pheasants hatched at the Chester Zoo in the U.K. on Wednesday in what's been heralded as a boost for the beautiful specifies.

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“Great argus males in particular are amongst the most unusual and distinctive of all birds, with their astonishingly long wing and tail feathers adorned with thousands of eye-spots," said Andrew Owen, the curator of birds at the zoo.

The species is in steep decline in nature due to hunting and deforestation, according to the zoo.

"It is their beauty which is, in part, what makes them so prized by hunters," Owen added, calling the newly hatched birds "certainly important."

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"The great argus pheasant is under real pressure in parts of Southeast Asia. Like so many bird species in that part of the world, they are the victim of rapid deforestation and illegal trapping."

Most incredible of all is the species' elaborate mating ritual. The male makes a ring of sticks then entices the female to enter into the circle before performing a dance. It finishes with him spreading his wings to show off his beautiful plumage.

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