A southern ground hornbill at Artis has a new upper and lower beak made with a 3D printer.
Veterinary and medical specialists spent ten months on the project with the zoo, which believes replacing both halves at once is a world first.
The relatively young male had been living with two stumps, and nobody knows how both parts broke off.
Specialists used CT scans of the broken pieces and the stumps to design two closely fitting prostheses.
Partners included UMC Utrecht, Utrecht University’s veterinary faculty and Belgian firm Amnovis, which made titanium attachments screwed onto the stumps.
The design can be removed if the bird rejects it or stops eating.
The hornbill used its new beak the same afternoon and picked up a mouse by itself the next morning.
It now tosses insects into the air to catch them and preens its feathers again.
Head vet Martine van Zijll Langhout says the real test is whether the beak lasts a lifetime of up to 70 years.
The male is paired with a female at the zoo, which hopes for chicks.
If the hornbill has you planning a trip to Artis, check out our guide to the city’s museums and attractions.