Flamingo Chick News
Our wonderful Caribbean flamingo chick hatched on the 1st July 2026 to parents Edwina and Anthony.
Below is a blog with the latest videos and photos – most recent is at the top. Scroll down to look back over time and see the chicks progress.
JULY 20th – Day 19
Today the naming poll finished, and the winning name was … JUDE! Thank you to everyone that voted.
Jude’s colour is now just beginning to turn slightly grey, and will get very grey before we start to see hints of pink appearing in a couple of months time.
JULY 18th – Day 17
Many thanks to Alex Baldry for this beautiful photograph of the chick enjoy some shade.
JULY 17th – Day 16
A new photo of the chick feeding from Edwina. The chick is getting quite big now.
See how dark the legs are now.
JULY 15th – Day 14
Stretching that leg!
A lovely up close image where you can see some real detail of the chick.
Learning to preen, and removing the dried crop milk that had dripped on the chicks neck.
Could almost be a dance routine!
JULY 14th – Day 13
Standing tall in the group!
Ready for feeding.
JULY 13th – Day 12
A lovely video of the chick’s development and showing off standing on one leg while already practising the motions of filtering water, just like its parents. As it grows and its beak slowly bends further downward, it will gain the filter-feeding abilities of an adult flamingo. At first, its straight beak helps it take in crop milk from its parents, and later it is used to eat larger pieces of food. This stage is important because the chick is moving from complete dependence on its parents towards learning the feeding skills it will need as an adult.
JULY 10th – Day 9
Edwina and her chick.
Meeting the flock
Growing so fast!
JULY 8th and 9th
Our little flamingo chick is officially out and about, exploring its surroundings and bravely learning how to climb back onto the nest… one careful step at a time!
It has been enjoying time in the lagoon and has even been spotted stretching its legs out on the grass area.
This weekend is a fantastic time to visit and catch a glimpse of the chick while it is still so young. It should be up and about more during the day, so keep your eyes peeled!
Below, Edwina and the chick, plus Penelope on her egg, which has sadly now gone past it’s hatch time, and we expect her to abandon the nest any time now, at which point the keepers will take the egg and learn what they can from it.
JULY 7th – Day 6
Look at how attentive Edwina and Anthony are – doing an amazing job!
JULY 6th – Day 5
Look at those chubby swollen legs – and the chick raising it’s leg up for the first time!
The swollen legs is caused because the flamingo egg is relatively large and cramped, the chick’s legs fold up inside it, leading to the characteristic plump appearance, which is only temporary and will go soon. In a couple of weeks, the legs will turn a grey/black colour.
You can also see the dark fur on the neck of this little one, which was caused during feeding time when the ‘crop milk’ fed by the parents ran down its neck. The chick seems to have got the hang of feeding now so this will go over time.
JULY 3rd/4th – Day 2/3
It will be fascinating to watch the chick’s development over the coming weeks and months. In around 7 to 10 days, that lovely pink beak will begin to turn black. After about a month, the soft white down will start to turn grey, with the first hints of pink appearing from around 4 months onwards. The flamingo’s spectacular crimson-pink colouring will gradually develop over the next two to three years.
The red on the front of the chick is from the parents feeding a special red liquid called ‘crop milk’ which is rich in carotenoids, and provides essential nutrients and pigments so the chick will develop well and get that lovely pink colour. The chick is just getting used to how to feed and some of it drips down it’s neck.
JULY 2nd 2026 – Hatch Day was the evening of 1st July
The chick hatched overnight and by 7.30am on Thursday 2nd was already looking out from beneath its mum’s wing, and below are the first videos and photos taken early the that morning.
BELOW: Mum Edwina with the chick snuggled up under a wing.
At the end of the chicks first full day, relaxing in the evening sun with mum.
MAY 31st
Edwina has laid an egg on the left mud nest, next to Penelope who was the first to lay an egg on the 25th of May. Sadly, for Penelope and Colin, their egg has not hatched at the time of writing this and now more than a week overdue, so Keepers believe it is unlikely to be fertile. At some point the pair are expected to abandon the nest, and keepers will then remove the egg to see what can be learned from it.
