Visitors to our Zoo these days can not only spot flamingos sitting on their eggs, but also observe how the adult birds care for their newly hatched chicks. The first chicks of the season hatched just over two weeks ago, and more have followed since.
We had previously informed our website readers that our greater flamingos were already incubating eggs. The first chicks hatched a little over two weeks ago, and since then, our large flamingo colony has been steadily growing with new arrivals appearing almost daily.
The chicks look quite different from the adults. It’s not just their smaller size — their body proportions and coloration are also unlike those of the mature birds. While the adults have long, slender legs, the chicks’ legs are shorter and stubbier, and their bodies are covered in fluffy down. Another major difference is that the distinctive curve of the adult flamingo’s beak is not yet developed in the chicks.
Typically, there is only one egg per nest, so each pair of parents usually raises one chick. It is characteristic of the species that within the colony, all the chicks tend to hatch within a few weeks, meaning there’s not a large age gap between them. However, since young chicks grow very quickly, even a two-week age difference can be quite noticeable at first in terms of size.
After hatching, the chick is not very active initially as it needs time to recover from the strain of emerging from the egg. At first, its beak and legs are pink, but by around one to one and a half weeks of age, they gradually turn black. The beak is still straight at this stage, so unlike the adults, the chicks are not yet able to filter the tiny aquatic organisms that make up the flamingos’ main food source. Instead, the adults feed their young with a nutritious secretion produced near the crop, known as crop milk. By the end of the third month, the chicks’ beaks are significantly developed, including the characteristic curve and the filtering lamellae inside the beak, which allow them to feed in the same way as adult flamingos.
We are not quite at that stage yet, so those visiting in the coming days and weeks should definitely spend some time observing the flamingos. With a bit of luck, they may see the adults feeding their chicks with crop milk. They might also witness how, as the chicks grow, the adults start gathering them into groups — forming what is known as a crèche — to better protect and care for them collectively.
