Flamingo Parenting Duties

With strong familial bonds, flamingo pairs share parenting duties including incubating their eggs, (which lasts about 27-30 days), and feeding their offspring. Females lay an egg atop a mud mound, built by both parents, and together the pair protect the nest and their eggs until hatching. After a chick hatches both parents will feed it with “flamingo milk” which is produced in the upper digestive tract and dripped into the mouth of the chick. Red in color, this “milk” is the bird’s primary food source in its first few months after hatch. As the chick grows, it becomes more independent, venturing further from its parents. To stay connected, the family will use frequent familiar vocalizations, which they recognize as each other’s distinct calls

When do Flamingo's Turn Pink?

As America’s First Zoo, Philadelphia Zoo has always been a leader in animal care. It was this excellence that led to the discovery of the correlation between flamingo diets, carotenoids (yellow, orange, and red organic pigments that are produced by plants and algae) and coloration. In the 1940’s, the Zoo developed a new diet for the flamingos that included ground carrots for the first time. A change in feather color and skin pigmentation was soon noticed, and by the mid-1950’s Philadelphia Zoo’s flamingo diet breakthrough was shared with zoos around the world.

Baby Caribbean Flamingo Hatched at Philadelphia Zoo

Q: Were do Flamingo's Come From?

Native to the Caribbean and Central and South America, Caribbean flamingos, sometimes called American flamingos, are considered ‘Least Concern’ by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Wild flamingo populations have significantly rebounded following conservation efforts implemented in the 1990s to protect birds and their sensitive nesting sites.

Philadelphia's New Baby Flamingo

Indigenous to both the Caribbean and Central and South America, Caribbean flamingos often referred to as American flamingos, are regarded as 'Least Concern' by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

Wild flamingo communities have dramatically rebounded soon after conservation efforts were put into practice in order to preserve the birds as well as their sensitive nesting sites.

"We are so pleased to welcome this new flamingo chick to our growing flock. After several years of preparing the flock and their enclosure for successful nesting, we are all delighted to watch the chick's development under the care of its doting parents," says Ian Gereg, the Zoo's Vice President for Animal Well-Being.

Naming Philadelphia's New Baby Flamingo

In celebration of the birth, the Philly Zoo is asking the public for help, name its new arrival. Choosing from a list put together by zookeepers, guests may vote as many times as they wish on their favorite name. Through Sunday, August 9, at 5:00 pm, just go to visit www.philadelphiazoo.org/flamingo and vote for your choice.

Being that Flamingos are native to the Caribbean and Central and South America. For that reason, the Zoo staff decided to go with the following names coming from the Spanish language. Rosado: means "pink," Alto means "tall," and Flaco means "slim" or "thin."

Philly's Newest Flamingo

During its first year, the chick is going to go through changes. Starting at just 6-inches-tall, over time, the chick will most likely mature to 5-feet-tall. Following a transition from a gray fluffy down to a grayish-pink plumage, ultimately turning into a vibrant pink – the reaction to carotenoids in bird's food supply.

To find out more about this adorable little one, tune in to the Zoo's Facebook Live program, PhillyZoo@2, on Wednesday, August 5, at 2 pm to see babies' first day out!

Bill Zimmerman
Publisher
Publisher / Webmaster at Philly Bite Magazine.

* Philly Zoo welcomes first baby flamingo in more than 20 years

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