The Welsh Mountain Zoo – National Zoo of Wales in Colwyn Bay has welcomed two Chilean Flamingo chicks to first time parents, making them the first flamingos to be born at the Zoo since 2018.
The first Flamingo chick hatched on Saturday, August 3, and the second hatched on Saturday, September 21; with both chicks making wonderful progress under the watchful eye of their parents and Zoo Keepers.
The Zoo has a long history in housing and breeding flamingos dating back to 1980; during which time it has welcomed 30 chicks.
Flamingo chick at the Welsh Mountain Zoo. Photo: Karen Clark
The sex of the chicks is still unknown with young flamingos taking between five to seven years to mature before showing any marked difference in size.
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Though this may be considered a long time before the sex of the chicks is known, the Chilean Flamingo is an incredibly long-lived bird often reaching 50 or 60 years old!
Flamingo and chick at Welsh Mountain Zoo. Photo: Martin Neale
Chris Mitchell, CEO of the Welsh Mountain Zoo commented: “Our new chicks are a lovely addition to the growing animal family here at the Zoo. We do need to be very cautious in these early days but the little ones are showing all of the signs that we would want and expect of infant flamingos at this stage.
“We are incredibly pleased to help support the continued conservation of the Chilean Flamingo through our breeding programme; with the arrival of any new chicks being an important development in our efforts to support conservation efforts for the species.”
Flamingo chicks at the Welsh Mountain Zoo. Photo: Karen Clark
Chilean Flamingos are classified by the IUCN Red List as Near Threatened.
Flamingos and chicks at the Welsh Mountain Zoo. Photo: Karen Clark
It comes as the zoo is celebrating the birth of endangered Margay kitten twins.
Flamingos are well known for their pink colour however their chicks are born with grey plumage, developing their signature pink plumage later in development.
In the wild, Flamingos feed their chicks with crop milk; a milky secretion produced by flamingo parents.
The carotenoid derived from their food (crustaceans and algae in the wild) is what facilitates the changing colour of a chick’s plumage from grey to pink.
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