But, thanks to the intervention of zookeepers, five orphaned plains-wanderer chicks were among nine hatched at the Werribee Open Range Zoo this week – almost doubling the species' captive population in Victoria in 24 hours. The critically endangered bird once roamed the grasslands surrounding Melbourne and is only found in south-east Australia. With much of its habitat swallowed up by suburban sprawl and agriculture, its population continues to decline. There are now fewer than 1000 mature plains-wanderers left in the wild and fewer than 300 in Victoria. Genetically speaking, there is no other bird like it. As the only living member of the Pedionomidae family, it is among the most unique birds in the world.

So when Werribee Open Range Zoo threatened-species keeper Yvette Pauligk and her colleagues found five abandoned eggs in their breeding enclosure late last month, the pressure was on to save the orphans. A female plains-wander displays her elegant black-and-white collar and rufous chest patch. Credit:Zoos Victoria "We've practised with quail but to actually have a plains-wanderer and to know how few there are and how important each bird is ... it's quite stressful," she said. "You do the best you can with the knowledge you've got." Plains-wanderer males raise chicks while the bigger, more striking female will run off to seek another mate.

So the zookeepers placed the abandoned eggs in an incubator designed to exactly replicate "dad sitting on them": 37 degrees and 60 per cent humidity. They set a timer to roll the eggs 180 degrees, 20 times a day. After 23 days they were placed in an extra-humid brooding room where they hatched this week. The five orphans are now running around a "chick rearing tub" already chasing crickets, guzzling maggots and – when they are scared – running underneath a feather duster acting as their surrogate father. But they won't be spooked infants for long: within two months some will be ready to breed. "You hit a milestone and you get utter relief and then you go, what's next?" Ms Pauligk said.

"These guys grow up way too fast!" Loading Ms Pauligk said eggs are sometimes abandoned in the wild. There are theories as to why, but like so much about these secretive birds, the exact reason is unknown. The other four chicks which naturally hatched this week are a testament to the success of the captive-breeding program which has just completed its first season – as well as the challenges it faces in the future. The mother was Jane, one of the first four chicks hatched at the zoo last November.