These Bristol Zoo Flamingo Chicks Do Not Have Pink Feathers

By Lucy Parkinson

Bristol, UK - Keepers at Bristol Zoo Gardens are celebrating the hatching of four flamingo chicks.

The small, fluffy grey birds might not look like flamingos just yet, but will start to develop pink plumage at around two years old and will not fully resemble adults until they reach the age of four.

The chicks started hatching on June 18 and have hatched over the last few weeks. The new arrivals have boosted the flock to a total of 32 birds.

It’s a huge boost for the Zoo as the flock have not reared chicks since 2003. Keepers hand-reared 10 chicks from eggs they received from Slimbridge Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust in 2006 – some of which have now gone on to produce the latest youngsters.

Zoo keepers have put in a lot of work in the past few months to give the eggs the best possible chance of hatching. Overseer of birds, Kate Atwell, explains: “Flamingos have a habit of knocking eggs off their nests which can cause them to break or go cold. To prevent this, we removed some of the eggs and set them in incubators, replacing them with wooden eggs on the nests.”

She added: “Once the eggs were almost ready to hatch, we put them back onto the nests so the parents could call to the chicks, see them hatch and bond with them straight away.”

Now the flamingos are being left alone to ensure the adults do not abandon the chicks, which could happen if they are disturbed too much.

Kate added: “The chicks are doing really well. They are hardy little things and endure being stepped on by their parents and pecked at by the other birds around them! There is a lot of squabbling among the chicks and the adults can be seen pushing the other chicks away from their own or from their nests. It’s always interesting to watch!”

Greater flamingos are part of a UK coordinated effort to increase numbers in captivity to maintain a sustainable population. Flamingo pairs are monogamous - they stay together for life.

With shallow wading pools and specially designed nesting areas, Bristol Zoo’s flamingo enclosure has been developed to encourage the birds to mate. The enclosure is also home to other wetland species including avocets, redshank, marbled teal, ruffs and little egrets, all of which are part of Bristol Zoo Gardens’ international conservation breeding programmes.

Notes:

Greater flamingos

· Flamingos build their nests from mud. One of the pair stands over the nest site and drags mud between its feet with its bill. The mud is then pressed into place with the bill and feet.

· The female lays a single egg which both the male and female incubate.

· After 28 days the egg hatches and the parents help by pulling away pieces of the egg shell.

· The chick is fed for at least the first three to four weeks entirely by the parents who secrete a creamy pink liquid called 'crop milk'.

· The chicks fledge after ten weeks, but remain in creches for a further month.

· The chick is born with a straight bill which starts to curve at about one month and can filter feed properly at two and a half months.

· Flamingos are fully grown at two years and can live in captivity for 60 years.

· Adult flamingos eat crustaceans - crustacivore, plankton, algae, diatoms and aquatic invertebrates

· Greater flamingos are native to Europe, Asia, Africa and North America.

· Flamingos are pink from the pigments they get from cyanobacteria (their food).

Bristol Zoo Gardens

· Bristol Zoo Gardens is open from 9am every day except Christmas Day.

· The Zoo is an Education and Conservation Charity and relies on the income from visitors to support its work.

· The Zoo is involved with over one hundred co-ordinated breeding programmes for threatened wildlife species.

· It employs 140 full and part-time staff to care for the animals and run a successful visitor attraction to support its conservation and education work.

· Bristol Zoo Gardens supports – through finance and skill sharing - over 10 projects in the UK and abroad that conserve and protect some of the world’s most endangered species.

· Bristol Zoo Gardens is a member of the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums. BIAZA represents more than 90 member collections and promotes the values of good zoos and aquariums.

To view Bristol Zoo's web page on Zoo and Aquarium Visitor, go to:  http://www.zandavisitor.com/forumtopicdetail-719-Bristol_Zoo_Gardens