First flamingo offspring at Chemnitz Zoo
Three chicks have hatched so far
Premiere at Chemnitz Zoo: For the first time in almost 30 years of keeping flamingos, the pink flamingos have had offspring. Eggs were laid on six brood mounds and three chicks hatched on 1 July, 3 July and 5 July. It remains to be seen whether the other eggs will hatch. The three chicks are already lively and are forming a kind of nursery. The zoo now hopes that they will stay healthy and be well protected and raised by the group.
Flamingos only reproduce when a certain number of animals live in the group. They do not breed in a large enclosure 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. The animals, which were very young at the time, have now reached adulthood, and after a few practice attempts in previous years, they were successful this year.
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.
www.tierpark-chemnitz.de
Opening hours of the zoo
9 am to 7 pm, last admission 6 pm
Opening hours of the wildlife park
8 am to 6 pm, last admission 5 pm