Meet the fluffy flamingo chicks at Hellabrunn Zoo

The greater flamingo colony at Hellabrunn Zoo has new offspring. The chicks were hatched in the last few weeks. Still somewhat clumsy, the little ones with grey down feathers can now observed from the viewing platform in front of Café Flamingo and admired at length. For Hellabrunn, these are the first chicks born at the zoo since the genetic differentiation and reduction of the group last autumn.

The three recently-hatched chicks have turned up the volume in the flamingo aviary at Hellabrunn Zoo. Their loud squeaks can be heard above the general chatter of the colony’s adults. In the past few days, the cute fluffy baby flamingos with pink legs have also begun to leave their nest and explore the enclosure under the watchful eye of their parents. Chicks and parents recognise each other by their voices. The call of each flamingo is unique, so the parents always know which chick to feed and will not give their regurgitated crop milk to any other young.

For the first few months, the chicks will be fed by their parents with a secretion rich in fats and proteins from the glands lining the upper digestive tract, known as crop milk. Unlike mother's milk, this secretion is produced by both sexes. Crop milk is bright red in colour because it is packed with carotenoids (the same pigments the give the greater flamingo its unique pink hue) and red blood cells.

Chicks that are mobile enough to start exploring their habitat join together to form a group called a ‘crèche’. At Hellabrunn Zoo, this adult-supervised daycare group currently consists of three chicks. As they grow, the chicks will learn how to feed themselves using their highly specialised bill, which acts as a sieve to filter food out of the water. Newly-hatched flamingo chicks are born with grey or white down feathers and only gain the typical adult pink plumage after two years.

First offspring since genetic differentiation in autumn 2023

Last autumn, the flamingo group at Hellabrunn Zoo was examined using a pioneering genetic differentiation method. Prior to this, the aviary was home to both greater and American flamingos, who occasionally bred with each other to produce offspring known as hybrids. These hybrids were identified using genetic testing. "Last year, with the help of scientists using genetic analysis, we were able to identify beyond doubt the exact species of each individual flamingo. This enabled us to ensure that only greater flamingos remain at the zoo and to prevent further hybrids being produced," said Dr Eric Diener, curator of flamingos at Hellabrunn.

Prof Dr Willems from the Justus Liebig University in Giessen, working in collaboration with the zoo, was able to identify the species purity of all 94 flamingos living at Hellabrunn at the time. This genetic differentiation study, the first of its kind in the world, underlines that modern scientific methodology is playing an increasingly important role in science-led zoos such as Hellabrunn. The research methods developed in zoos are subsequently used in wildlife research and species conservation.

"We have been observing the chicks since they hatched. They are now past the critical first few days and the parents are all doing a great job," added Diener. Greater flamingos live in large colonies in a wide distribution area. Populations are found in the Mediterranean, parts of Africa and the Middle East, and even as far as India. They prefer shallow, nutrient-rich waters such as salt lakes and coastal lagoons.