(Philadelphia PA) Biologists at the University of Pennsylvania are warning Easter shoppers the famous marshmallow chicken is nearly extinct. The unusual bird has been declining in recent years due to heavy predation and breeding difficulties. The chicks are now on the Endangered Species List.
"It's been a problem for sometime." said biologist Erin Ost. "The poor birds just aren't well designed by Mother Nature. They lay enormous coconut eggs each year that are many times larger than the hens and that takes a toll. It's an evolutionary dead end even without human predation." said Ms. Ost.
Shoppers will see the chicks this year, but not next year, according to chicken breeder Stu Perdue. "They are very difficult to breed in captivity, they just don't seem to eat anything." said Mr. Perdue. "And the poor things melt when water touches them, they are a very strange bird indeed."
