WATCH LIVE

Chicago & Suburban Cook Co.North SuburbsWest SuburbsSouth SuburbsNW Indiana
EDIT
Welcome,
Your Account
Log Out

PHOTOS: Chilean flamingo chick hatches at Lincoln Park Zoo

Thursday, September 17, 2015
  • The Lincoln Park Zoo announced it hatched a Chilean flamingo successfully for the first time ever on Sept. 11.
  • “We are absolutely elated to welcome our first Chilean flamingo chick,” said Sunny Nelson, curator of birds.
  • The sex of the chick has yet to be determined, but shell fragments have been collected for DNA analysis which is a non-invasive way of determining whether it is male or female.
  • The chick weighed about the same as a bar of soap when it hatched, 95 grams.
  • Like all species of flamingos, Chilean flamingos have pink feathers but are born white-grey and only begin to gain that iconic hue when they’re about two years old.
  • Flamingos reach up to about 40 inches in height and stand on one leg to preserve body heat by tucking the other underneath their bodies.
  • The flock of Chilean flamingos is on exhibit at the zoo’s Waterfowl Lagoon.
  • The Lincoln Park Zoo announced it hatched a Chilean flamingo successfully for the first time ever on Sept. 11.
1 of 8
The Lincoln Park Zoo announced it hatched a Chilean flamingo successfully for the first time ever on Sept. 11.
Christopher Bijalba / Lincoln Park Zoo
Report a correction or typo
Related Topics
Watch Live
ON NOW