Parrot hatches on Facebook Live to audience of millions

A parrot was watched by millions on a livestream as it hatched out of its egg.

The eclectus parrot emerged from its shell at about 8pm on Tuesday, with the event broadcast on Lincolnshire Wildlife Park’s Facebook page via a series of live videos over two days.

Keepers at the park kept viewers entertained as they watched, with comments on the process, facts about parrots, and competitions.

The series of videos was watched cumulatively by more than three million people, with 1.4 million tuning in to one of the videos alone.

Among those watching at home was TV star Gok Wan, who called to chat to the park’s chief executive Steve Nichols after he mentioned on the hatch stream that he was a fan of Mr Wan.

Lincolnshire Wildlife Park has more than 1,500 parrots in its collections but, although many eggs are laid by the birds, it is relatively unusual for one to be fertile.

Staff check each one for a heartbeat, and any that prove to be fertile are put in an incubator.

With the egg hatched, staff will soon start carefully to hand-rear the chick before reintroducing it to the rest of the parrots.