First pelicans in 360 years hatch in St James’s Park London

They arrived in the royal park shortly before the Great Fire of London , when the Russian ambassador presented a pair to King Charles II as a gift. But although pelicans have been living in St James’s Park since 1664, none ever learned the art of courtship – until now, when for the first time in more than 360 years, chicks have been born. The chicks have a ferocious appetite, staff say. Photograph: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images The first of four chicks hatched on 17 May and all have now survived their first month, to the delight of the Royal Parks manager, Mark Wasilewski. “This really is a first for us,” he said. “We’re gobsmacked.” There are six adult great white pelicans living in the park: two males, called Sun and Moon, and four females, called Star, Isla, Tiffany and Gargi. “Pelicans normally only breed when they’re in large groups of 10, 12 or more,” said Wasilewski. “We’ve always had between two and six – never a great number – and as the pelicans have passed away, we’ve decided when it’s time to bring in some more … just to keep that tradition going, which we think is a really important tradition for St James’s Park.” Five eggs were laid in three nests, and eight-year-old Star and 30-year-old Gargi, an “elderly female pelican”, have been sharing sitting on one nest. “One of the two males must have impregnated one of them, but unfortunately we don’t know which of the two actually laid the eggs,” he said. …