Chemnitz Zoo: Offspring of the pink flamingos
Three chicks have hatched so far
The pink flamingos at Chemnitz Zoo have had a baby. The first chick hatched at the beginning of June. Two more chicks followed, the last for the time being at the beginning of July. Some of the eggs are still being incubated, so it is possible that more chicks will be born. This is the second successful offspring for the zoo, after three chicks also hatched last year.
Flamingos only reproduce when a certain number of animals live in the group. They do not breed on a large site with few animals. For this reason, 16 animals from three different zoos in Austria, the Czech Republic and Germany were added to the existing small group in 2015 and 2016.
Breeding now works so well that the young animals are both hatched naturally and raised by the parents themselves. Visitors can experience the interesting rearing process, in which both parents are involved, and watch the young animals grow up.
Flamingos are thermophilic water birds with a unique beak. This is curved downwards at its tip and has fine horn lamellae on the inside. The animals swing it back and forth in the water with the upper side facing downwards, filtering their food from the churning water. With the food, they also absorb dyes that are important for the pink plumage colour. In zoos, feed containing carotenoids must therefore be added to prevent the birds from fading in colour. The young, on the other hand, are grey.
Opening hours in summer
| Zoo: | 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., last admission 6 p.m. |
| Game enclosure: | 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., last admission 5 p.m. |