Como Zoo’s Newest Resident
A Chilean flamingo is the first flamingo in Como Zoo’s history to have a baby chick.
The small hatchling burst from its egg on Thursday in the Zoo's Bird Yard.
Due to their unusual breeding practices, many zoos and other institutions have been unsuccessful producing flamingo chicks. But with increased research, zoos have been becoming more successful in recent years. In fact, within the past week Lincoln Park Zoo and Denver Zoo reported their first eggs in history too.
Flamingo are most known for their remarkable pale pink to salmon and red coloring, but they don’t look this way when they hatch. Flamingo chicks are born white and turn grey after a few weeks. It is after a year or so, and with a proper diet, that they begin to develop their pink coloring. Alpha and Beta carotene pigments in a flamingo’s diet create the brilliant hues. These pigments are added to the diets of captive flamingos.
For over 100 years, Marjorie McNeely Conservatory and Como Zoo in
Post a Comment