By David Scholefield


Small miracle: Marwell Wildlife Park's first ever flamingo chick


A zoo is celebrating the birth of its first ever flamingo chick - conceived after keepers got the birds in the mood to breed by putting up mirrors for them.

Staff at Marwell Wildlife Park have been willing the exotic birds to produce offspring since 1972.

Now, almost four decades later, they've finally got their wish - after employing the ingenious tactics to get the creatures in the mood.


Greater flamingos are more likely to breed in larger colonies where they feel secure.

So keepers tricked them by installing mirrors and piping in the sound of flamingo calls from speakers. They also put up fake nests with dummy eggs.

To their delight, their first chick was born and, with eight eggs left to hatch, it is hoped there will be more arrivals before the end of the year.

Keepers say their latest addition, which is now two weeks old and just 1ft tall, is doing well and proving very popular with visitors.

Leg up: The flamingo chick conceived after keepers got the birds in the mood to breed by putting up mirrors


Gordon Campbell, curator of birds and lower vertebrates, said: "We've had flamingos for many years and always hoped they would breed.

'They got close on occasions but, until now, none have produced a chick.

'A colleague then came up some new ideas after attending a meeting of the British Zoos and Aquariums.

'Introducing mirrors and sounds seemed bizarre but it appealed to the birds' instinct.

'Many exist in colonies of thousands - this comforts them and encourages them to breed.

'After that we noticed some of the birds were building nests - it was a little step but it was encouraging.

'We then introduced some dummy eggs into nests we'd made up and that really got the birds excited.

'Five days after that we had our first egg.

'The parents took it in turns to incubate it for the 29 to 30 days and we were delighted when it hatched.

'Some of the keepers spotted the chick and there was a great deal of excitement.

Broody: A flamingo sits upon its nest. Behind it, the reflection of another bird in a mirror set up by zoo staff


'When you've had the birds for such a long time with no success with breeding this kind of thing is really important.

'For the first day the chick was closely guarded by its mother but it's now started to walk around the enclosure and is doing really well.

'At the moment, we don't know whether our new arrival is a male or a female.

'We will either wait until it's fully grown, when we will be able to judge the sex by its size, or we will do a DNA test during a health check next month.'

He added: 'The chick is proving very popular with visitors, when they catch a glimpse of it there's always a lot of excitement.'

Flamingos incubate their eggs for 30 days and the parents take it in turns to look after the youngster.

Young flamingos are born grey and white and do not turn pink for two years.

For the first three to four weeks, the chick is fed entirely by the parents who secrete a creamy pink liquid called 'crop milk'.


source:dailymail

By Daily Mail Reporter


In his element: The flamingo strolls along in the pool before dipping his head under the water and taking a tumble


They make standing on one leg look easy. Usually.

This flamingo, however, seems to lack the balance and poise of the rest of his species.

As he strolled through a shallow pool in his enclosure, he slipped his head under the water to have a drink.

Oh the shame: The pink bird had dipped his head into the water to cool off before tripping over


But as he tucked one leg up under his body, he lost his footing and plunged in, head over feet.

Any chance of recovering his dignity was then lost as the confused bird’s legs flailed wildly in all directions as he desperately tried to get back up, flipping over several times and almost sinking.

When he eventually managed to regain his composure, he tried to brush off the incident at Moscow zoo by casually swimming away as if nothing had happened.

Stylish: The flamingo ends up with his legs pointing in the air after losing his balance while wading at Moscow Zoo


Unfortunately for him, the whole episode was caught on camera by wildlife photographer Tatiana Adamenko.

She said: ‘They are usually very graceful birds but this one was panicking and creating a lot of noise. He was very joyful one minute and the next he was turning somersaults in water trying to get back on his feet. Luckily the water was not deep.’


Nobody saw that did they? The bird eventually regained his composure before swimming serenely away


Ms Adamenko, from Podolsk, near Moscow, has been taking pictures of wildlife for three years after qualifying as a vet.

She added: 'Flamingos are very unusual birds. They are distinctive not only with their beauty but also their unusual behaviour - that's why I love watching them.

'I know that Kazakh people believe that the first person to see a flamingo in spring will be happy. So I'm hoping to be the first this spring.'

Flamingos often stand on one leg, but the reason for this behaviour is unknown.



Source:dailymail

A pair of Caribbean flamingos extend their heads and necks in a heart shape as flamingos perform courtship dances at the Saitama Children's Zoo in Higashimatsuyama, Saitama prefecture, north of Tokyo on February 13, 2011, one day before St. Valentine's Day.



A pair of Caribbean flamingos extend their heads and necks in a heart shape as flamingos perform courtship dances at the Saitama Children's Zoo in Higashimatsuyama, Saitama prefecture, north of Tokyo on February 13, 2011, one day before St. Valentine's Day.



A pair of Caribbean flamingos extend their heads and necks in a heart shape as flamingos perform courtship dances at the Saitama Children's Zoo in Higashimatsuyama, Saitama prefecture, north of Tokyo on February 13, 2011, one day before St. Valentine's Day.


source: Daylife
photo: Gettyimages



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