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These Puna Rheas (Pterocnemia tarapacensis) were photographed near Lauca Park. There were 22 chicks, and when the adult male whistled, the chicks ran off in a group. According to Handbook of the Birds of the World, the Puna Rhea is "in serious danger of extinction in the short term....endangered". Reported in the local paper, a program is to begin soon to take eggs from wild birds and raise the chicks in captivity to sell meat, feathers, and skin. (La Estrella de Arica, 15 December 2002.) |
