Two male lesser flamingos became parents

Earlier this year, an unusual event occurred at the San Diego Zoo: two male lesser flamingos became foster parents, taking on the responsibility of caring for a baby of their species. This case confirmed that parental care in nature can manifest itself in different ways.

It all started with a pair of flamingos showed parental instincts by caring for a fake egg (dummy). The zoo staff decided to reward them for this, replacing a fake egg with a real one from another pair of flamingos. This allowed the other couple to produce a second baby, while two males took care of the first chick.

Flamingos usually lay just one large white egg in a nest that they build like a sandcastle. After laying an egg, the parents sit on it for protection and warmth. The nest grows up to two feet tall, surrounded by a moat for added protection from water.

The hatched baby flamingo has gray feathers and is about the size of a tennis ball. According to zoo experts, the chick's beak is straight and pink, and its legs turn black (darken) within the first week.

Two male flamingos turned out to be wonderful parents, taking turns incubating and caring for the chick.. “This pair has perfected their parenting by alternating between brooding and feeding the baby each day with 'milk food' regurgitated from the esophagus,” San Diego Zoo officials said. This special “milk food” contains all the essential nutrients and is usually produced by male and female flamingos, as well as other members of the flock who may act as foster parents.

“Chick calls, the signals a hungry hatchling uses to ask for food, appear to stimulate the release of that food,” park officials said. When parents feed their young, they temporarily lose their color, becoming a paler pink or white, which returns when the young become independent and begin feeding on their own.

When the cubs are ready to be “weaned,” they will begin to eat a special pellet food that is given to all flamingos at the zoo. This food contains all the essential nutrients as well as the pigment needed to maintain the bright pink color of flamingos. “To allow the flamingos to feed naturally (take in water and then filter it), there is a water source near their food so they can sip water as they would in the wild,” the zoo says.

The story of two male flamingos caring for their first chicks is drawing positive reviews, proving that parental care can manifest itself in different ways in nature.

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