- First offspring of rose flamingos in the Eberswald
In the Eberswalde Zoo, Flamingo chicks have hatched for the first time. The yet unnamed young flamingos saw the light of day on July 11th and 16th, sporting a gray and fluffy down. The young hatched after an average incubation period of 27 to 31 days, as the city reported. The offspring was not a given, it was stated further.
"The efforts of our colleagues to put the Eberswalde flamingos in breeding mode have paid off. It's the first successful breeding in our zoo, and that too with two flamingo pairs," Zoo Director Paulina Ostrowska was quoted as saying.
Zoo delighted with naming suggestions for chicks
The greater flamingos are said to be among the favorites in the Eberswalde Zoo - now they are ten in number. One of the chicks is being hand-fed by zoo staff, while the other is being cared for by its parents. Naming suggestions are very welcome and can be submitted via email to: [email protected].
Greater flamingos are primarily native to parts of Africa, Asia, and Southern Europe. These birds, averaging 120 to 140 centimeters in height, are popular representatives of their species in zoological gardens worldwide. Eberswalde is also home to 17 dwarf flamingos, which moved here from the Zoological City Garden Karlsruhe in 1994.
Flamingos grow to full size within half a year. However, their feathers only turn pink or red with sexual maturity at two to three years old. This is because the birds deposit certain carotenoids from algae and small crustaceans as a pigment in their feathers.
The zoo is excited to receive naming suggestions for the other newly hatched flamingo chicks. Despite the success of breeding flamingos in the Eberswalde Zoo for the first time, deciding on names for the chicks adds an extra layer of excitement for the staff and visitors alike.
