Chilean Flamingo Chick Hatched at Manx Wildlife Park After 18 Years

Curraghs Wildlife Park, located in the northern part of the Isle of Man, has successfully bred a Chilean flamingo chick, marking the first such event at the park in 18 years. Kathleen Graham, the park’s manager, stated that the staff were “delighted” by the arrival of the new chick. The chick, which is currently just over one month old, has an undetermined sex but is visible to visitors alongside its parents at the park. The International Union for Conservation of Nature classifies the Chilean flamingo species as “near threatened.” According to a spokesman for the park, situated in Ballaugh, the chick is “easy to spot” and will retain its “grey plumage for two to three years before turning pink.” The spokesman added that the chick is now keeping pace with the adult flamingos, “having fledged the nest they constructed on the spider monkey island.” He further explained: “Both parents share incubation and chick rearing.” He also noted that “Both the male and female can make a ‘milky’ solution in their crop – an expandable pouch in the throat, part of a bird’s digestive system – to feed the chick.” Ms. Graham also stated: “In the wild, flamingos eat small crustaceans and other microscopic animals and plants by filter feeding whereas in zoos they eat a special flamingo diet that contains pigments essential for maintaining their distinct colour.” She further mentioned that flamingos can reach an age of approximately 40 years when under human care.