A brief baby update... and something made of bricks?!

20 July 2015

So many new flamingos to see! If you haven't seen the wonderful film explaining all about this year's breeding success at WWT Slimbridge then you are missing out! Expertly narrated by Avicultural Manager, Mark, it's all you need to know about why WWT's flamingos are brilliant birds :-)
Click on the link below to learn all about why there are so many chicks around at the moment.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Cj9ktel73U

The chicks are growing fast so make sure you come and catch them before they become tall, leggy and pink! In the meantime, here are a few chicktastic behaviours to watch out for on your next flamingo spotting visit!

Ballet helps them grow! Well, wing and leg stretches. Important for developing limbs. — Ballet helps them grow! Well, more like wing and leg stretches. Important for developing limbs.

Snoozy in the sunshine? It's tough growing up pink. check out the distinctive flamingo resting style.

An ENORMOUS flamingo crèche. And only at WWT Sliimbridge can you see this many birds, in such a big flamingo nursery. Look out for adult "helpers" keeping an eye out over the mass of grey fluff.

Lunch please! An almost half-grown chick begs for food from an adult bird. However, the chick is pushing its luck and this is not its parent. A shove from the adult bird and the chick soon goes quiet! Growing chicks will try and scrounge dinner from birds that are not their parents, even though they are neatly always rebuffed. — Lunch please! A well-grown chick begs for food from an adult bird. However, the chick is pushing its luck and this is not its parent. A shove from the adult bird and the chick soon goes quiet! Growing chicks will try and scrounge dinner from birds that are not their parents, even though they are nearly always rebuffed.

Is that a splash of pink...?! No, not yet! But what you will start to see from now onwards is fluffy down being replaced by "proper" feathers as the chicks' first plumage pushes through, first on their wings.

And finally, it's not just the baby flamingos that are new. A big brick-built bird has migrated in from pastures new... Catch "Flavia the Flamingo" near the Andean Pen throughout the summer. Here she is expertly carried by PR guy Chris.