When a tiny robin accidentally fluttered into the siamang habitat at Albuquerque's ABQ BioPark, the keepers watching nearby weren't sure what would happen next.
The young bird had wandered into the enclosure of one of the zoo's largest primates—a situation that could easily have ended very differently.
Instead, they witnessed something that left them quietly amazed.
On June 27, ABQ BioPark shared the heartwarming encounter in a video and news release, revealing how Eve, one of the zoo's resident siamangs, gently cared for the fledgling after it accidentally wandered into her habitat in late May. Rather than reacting with aggression, Eve cradled the tiny bird, groomed it and even attempted to comfort it, surprising the keepers who watched the unlikely interaction unfold.
(Courtesy of Albuquerque BioPark)
For Megan Agena, a member of the zoo's primate care team, the moment began with uncertainty.
When she first noticed Eve had picked up the tiny bird, she wasn't sure how the siamang would react.
Then, almost immediately, her concern gave way to surprise.
"I quickly saw that she was actually being very gentle with the baby bird and showing maternal behaviors toward it," Agena said in the June 27 video shared by ABQ BioPark, adding that the visitor appeared to be a fledgling American robin.
Eve had already become a mother herself before the robin wandered into her enclosure, and Agena soon recognized many of the same nurturing behaviors she displayed with her own infant.
Rather than pushing the bird away, Eve gently cradled it in her arms. She carefully groomed its feathers and even attempted to nurse it, treating the tiny visitor much as she would her own baby.
Every time the fledgling chirped, Eve responded with quiet reassurance.
"Every time it would make a noise, she would try her best to comfort it," Agena recalled.
As the moments passed, Eve became increasingly protective.
According to Agena, the siamang eventually carried the robin into her indoor enclosure, apparently wanting to keep it away from the other two siamangs sharing the habitat.
"Not long after I noticed her with the bird, she took it inside to her indoor space because she was very protective of it and presumably wanted to keep it away from the other two siamangs in the habitat," Agena said.
Rather than intervening immediately, the primate care team chose to watch carefully.
They wanted to ensure the bird remained safe while waiting for the right opportunity to retrieve it without unnecessarily upsetting Eve.
That opportunity came a short time later.
"Eventually, she set it down gently beside her while she ate her breakfast," Agena said. "When Eve stepped outside, it gave me the chance to safely retrieve the baby bird."
The robin appeared healthy and unharmed.
Soon afterward, keepers safely reunited the fledgling with its mother, bringing the remarkable encounter to a happy ending.
Although the interaction lasted only a short time, it left a lasting impression on everyone who witnessed it.
Looking back, Agena said she still cannot fully explain why Eve cared for the tiny bird so tenderly.
According to the Smithsonian's National Zoo, siamangs are the largest members of the gibbon family and typically live in close-knit family groups, with both parents helping raise their young. Native to the forests of Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand, the apes are known for their strong family bonds. That social structure may help explain why Eve responded so instinctively to the vulnerable fledgling, although keepers say behavior like this between different species is rarely observed.
For a brief moment at a New Mexico zoo, a tiny robin found an unexpected guardian in a new mother from another species.
For Megan Agena, the experience became a reminder that there is still much to learn about the emotional lives of animals.
"Looking back, we don't know why Eve did what she did," Agena said. "She's the most independent and gentle of the three siamangs here. While it's uncommon to see this kind of behavior between different species, it may just be in her nature."
"Either way, seeing Eve care for the baby bird like that was very heartwarming," she added. "It's a gentle reminder that these animals are intelligent and have instincts that go deeper than we can imagine."
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