Flamingo chick hatched at zoo for first tinme in nearly a decade

A Chilean flamingo chick has hatched at a zoo for the first time in almost ten years.

The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) says the chick hatched on Sept 4, 2025 - marking a major milestone in the zoo’s breeding program.

Lorna Hughes, birds and primates team leader at Edinburgh Zoo, said: “We have been caring for this flock for years and to see a chick hatching and being taken care of by its parents is just incredible.

“It is still early, but the chick is looking stronger every day so we are hopeful they will grow nice and healthy.

"Flamingo chicks develop quickly, doubling in weight within days, so we are already seeing our little one get bigger.

"Now we just need to keep everything crossed for the remaining eggs still in the incubator.”

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The Chilean flamingo is listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List, meaning it could become Endangered.

Its survival is threatened by habitat loss from mining, water diversion and pollution, as well as human disturbances like unregulated tourism and egg collection.

To maximise the chance of eggs successfully hatching, the wildlife conservation charity’s keepers temporarily remove them from the nest site and place them in incubators.

During incubation, the adult flamingos are provided with dummy eggs so they can continue their natural parenting behaviours without disruption, explains the team.

Once the chicks begin to break through the eggshell, they are returned to the nests.

This newly hatched chick is now the youngest resident of the zoo's flamingo flock, compared to its oldest residents - Shrimpy, Louis and Rio - who are estimated to have hatched in 1961.