Slimbridge Wetland Centre breeds Baer's pochard ducklings

The global population of Baer's pochard ducks has been declining for several years

A pair of critically-endangered birds have hatched at a wildlife reserve.

Slimbridge Wetland Centre has announced that it welcomed two Baer's pochard ducklings in June.

It is the first time that wildlife haven in Gloucestershire has successfully bred the rare birds.

Phoebe Vaughan, Deputy Living Collections Manager at the centre, said: "When you make habitat, they will come, they will breed, and they will thrive!"

She added: "This is such a valuable message to our visitors and future generations."

The species was once common across Eastern Asia, but their population is rapidly declining.

In 2012, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) listed Baer's pochards as critically endangered.

Two ducklings hatched in June

It is estimated that there are fewer than 1,000 of the birds left in the wild in countries such as China, Japan and Vietnam.

Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust's (WWT) Conservation Breeding Unit used Baer's pochard and Ferruginous ducks to trial equipment that was eventually used for the pochard soft release at Lake Sofia in Madagascar.

The Baer's were helpful to assess the suitability of the equipment, and in turn, the WWT were able to successfully raise their species profile.

The species is at risk of becoming the first widespread continental duck to become extinct

Ms Vaughan said: "The Baer's pochard is the most recent in a long list of 'little brown ducks' to need our help and understanding in recent decades.

"The aviculture team is thrilled to be able to do our bit for raising the awareness of both the Baer's pochard, and also incidentally the Madagascar pochard, to which this little family are representing for us so beautifully."

The Living Collection team at Slimbridge have a history of breeding rare species.

Visitors to the centre can see the Baer's pochard ducklings at the Mission Possible exhibit.