„Crows, or Corvidae, of which the magpie is a member, exhibit imprinting. During artificial rearing the human would be imprinted by the young, making probability of any further breeding much lower,” said Antonín Vaidl, the curator of birds at Prague Zoo. „If we use a puppet that imitates an adult magpie, then this imprinting doesn’t happen, and the young can be reared with the right habits.”

The puppet does not have to be a faithful copy of an adult magpie, but it must have the signalling marks that the young react to: a distinct red bill and a black mask on a bright green background.

Numbers of the Javan Green Magpie, the most beautiful “magpie” in the world, are declining dramatically. Currently it is one of the most endangered birds in the world; according to recent estimates, there are less than 50 individuals living in the wild, with roughly the same number being recorded in captivity.

„This is also the reason why it is one of the six flagship species of the Silent Forest campaign targeting vulnerable Southeast Asian songbirds,” said Miroslav Bobek, the director of Prague Zoo. „Prague Zoo is playing an important role in their conservation, not only because of its success in breeding magpies and laughingthrushes, but also thanks to its organizational work and support for conservation projects directly in Asia.”