Two Male Flamingos Have Paired Up to Raise a Chick
Michelle Milliken
Love is in the air at a zoo in England, and chicks have arrived as a result.
The Chilean flamingos at Paignton Zoo in Devon are in the process of welcoming new chicks for the first time since 2018, with some eggs already hatched and some still incubating. This is part of the zoo’s breeding program for the species, which is listed as near threatened on the IUCN Red List due to egg harvesting, habitat degradation, and breeding site disturbances by tourists. So far, the proud parents include Florence and Flame, Frenchie and Del, Flossie and Lando, and Curtis and Arthur. Yes, Curtis and Arthur.
The zoo wrote on Instagram, “Now, we aren’t entirely sure how the same-sex parenting has come about biologically speaking (although it is a known phenomenon in Chilean flamingos as well as other bird flocks!) The most likely scenario is that the egg was abandoned by another couple, so Curtis and Arthur have ‘adopted’ it.”
Though same-sex pairings are often observed in birds, and asexual reproduction is also possible in eggs unfertilized by sperm - a process known as parthenogenesis, this is the first time such a pair has successfully hatched an egg and raised the chick together at the zoo.
The duo was named earlier this year as part of the zoo’s Love Lagoon series on Instagram. This series also asked their followers to be matchmakers.
An earlier post said, “This International Flamingo Day, help us find the perfect match for our fabulous flamingos by checking out some of their dating profiles! From smooth talkers to hopeless romantics, each profile is as unique as the flamingo behind it.”
These joke dating profiles went on to produce real results, as the zoo has intermittently shared romance updates over the past few months, including videos of eggs being protected and congratulations to new parents as the hatching began.
Arthur and Curtis teamed up for the incubation of the egg that ended up with them, a process that takes about a month. When chicks are born, they’re fuzzy and gray, taking two or three years to become the flamboyant pink with which we’re familiar.
Arthur and Curtis may have a lot of happy times to look forward to, as well, as flamingos are typically monogamous, very social, and can live for up to 50 years.
