Mama panda shows off Canberra babies

It'll be a bittersweet Mother's Day for second-time mum Eilish.

The National Zoo's prized red panda lost one of her cubs the first time around - but now she's getting ready to show off her healthy new twins to Canberrans on Sunday.

Eilish's newborns are a special addition to a species whose numbers are low and declining.

Zookeepers are excited because the twins mark a successful breeding program of the threatened species.

"She had tough times with the first cub, and now for both of them to survive, we're very excited," National Zoo spokeswoman Bec Scott told AAP.

Visitors will be able to name the twins from a list compiled by keepers on the zoo's Facebook page.