Flamingo chick born at Cornwall park where sibling Frankie fled

Curator David Woolcock said: “This is wonderful news, the chick hatched overnight and by 07:30 BST on Thursday was already looking out from beneath its mum’s wing.”

He added: “If all goes well, the chick will develop quickly, gain strength in its legs and start to venture off the nest in a few days.

“The parents feed [the chick] a special high-energy red liquid known as crop milk direct into the beak of the chick, and this is crucial for the first weeks of the chick’s life before it transitions to eating adult food.”

Waite said the Caribbean flamingo was under pressure from human disturbance and loss of habitat but had a large native range across the Americas, and there had been re-introductions in areas where habitat restoration had taken place.

Paradise Park said flamingos formed strong pair bonds, and just one egg was laid with both the male and female feeding the chick on a special “crop milk”.

The birds can reach the age of 40 and are able to breed from age six.

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