For the first time in its history a Chilean flamingo chick has successfully hatched at the Akron Zoo. The chick is currently being raised indoors at the zoo’s animal hospital by zoo staff. The flamingo will not be on exhibit until spring.
The flamingo egg was laid on exhibit July 25, 2015, and relocated to an artificial incubator in the zoo’s animal hospital in order to increase the chances of its survival. While in the incubator staff monitored the temperatures, humidity and the weight of the egg multiple times a day. The egg continued to develop for the next 26 days until the chick began to hatch on August 20, 2015. The chick took about 36 hours to fully emerge from the egg.
At birth the chick weighed 96 grams. About 24 hours after the flamingo chick hatched zoo staff began to hand feed the chick, which is fed an egg based formula several times a day.
Eggshell membranes were sent for DNA gender testing, which revealed the chick to be female. The chick is being raised in an indoor enclosure with a shallow pool and heat lamps. She currently weighs about two pounds. Because she will not be big enough to be with the flock for several months, the zoo has decided to wait and have the chick go on exhibit in the spring.
The chick is being cared for primarily by wild animal keeper Joe Golgosky and the zoo veterinary staff.
The Chilean flamingo is closely related to American flamingo and greater flamingo. It is indigenous to South America, primarily Ecuador and Peru to Chile and Argentinaand east to Brazil. The Akron Zoo houses a flock of 23 Chilean flamingoes in their Legends of the Wild area. Chilean flamingoes have been at the Akron Zoo since May 2004.
