ROYAL OAK, Mich., November 19, 2007 – The Detroit Zoo is tickled pink with the addition of three Chilean flamingo chicks hatched via artificial incubation in September and October.  The chicks’ arrival marks the first successful flamingo rearing for the Zoo in 30 years.

Flamingo hatchings are rare in captivity as flamingos usually lay eggs every year but often only successfully rear chicks every four to five years.  The Detroit Zoo’s flamingo chicks are three of only 56 captive hatchlings in the U.S. this year.

The one male and two females are being hand-reared by zookeepers off-exhibit.  The chicks are fed a specially formulated “milkshake” of fish, krill, vitamins and Gerber baby oatmeal, made fresh daily and fed with syringes. 

Chilean flamingos (Phoenicopterus chilensis) are born with grayish-brown down feathers which gradually turn pink, a result of a diet high in beta carotene.  Adults measure 42 to 44 inches from the bill to the tip of the tail and weigh 13 to 16 pounds.

In the wild, the social birds live in flocks numbering in the thousands.  They occupy the wetland areas from central Peru to the southern tip of Argentina and live anywhere from sea level to 14,000 feet in elevation.  Chilean flamingos can live over 20 years in the wild and more than twice that in captivity.

The Detroit Zoo currently has 26 adult flamingos in the South American habitat across from the binturongs.  The chicks will gradually be introduced to the rest of the flock over the next several months and will make their public debut in the spring.

The Detroit Zoological Society is a non-profit organization that operates the Detroit Zoo and Belle Isle Nature Zoo.  Situated on 125 acres of naturalistic exhibits, the Detroit Zoo is located at the intersection of Ten Mile Road and Woodward Avenue, just off I-696, in Royal Oak.  The Detroit Zoo is open daily 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. November through March and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. April through October.  Admission is $11.00 for adults 13 to 61, $9.00 for senior citizens 62 and older, and $7.00 for children ages 2 to 12; children under 2 are free.  For more information, call (248) 541-5717 or visit www.detroitzoo.org.  The Belle Isle Nature Zoo is open daily 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. year-round and provides educational programming with interpretive staff support from the Huron-Clinton Metroparks.  For more information, call (313) 852-4056. 
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