Baby flamingo hatches at Riverbanks Zoo

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) - If you visit the Flamingo exhibit at Riverbanks Zoo, you might catch a glimpse at a new chick on the block.

According to the zoo, the baby American Flamingo — also known as Caribbean Flamingo — hatched on July 12 to parents who can be seen standing over or brooding it.

The parents feed the chick “crop milk,” which is a red liquid that drips from the beak. If you see red on the chicks or adults, the zoo officials said that is a good sign the parents are doing “a great job” making enough food for the chicks since the crop milk can drip on them.

So far, the baby flamingo doesn’t have a name and its sex isn’t known yet.

It gets weighed twice a day and receives a physical exam to monitor its health and growth. Then, the chick is returned to its parents — who recognized their baby by vocalizations — for them to feed and raise.

The zoo said this is part of “flamingo flock natural creching behavior.”

The incubation period for flamingos is 28 days and the chicks can swim from a very early age.

The zookeepers bring the chicks inside every night to keep them safe and protected.

You can see this baby in the flamingo exhibit, where it has been on display since its first day, along with the other 43 flamingos at Riverbanks Zoo. Zoo officials advise it might take time to spot the baby if the parents are brooding it, however a team member watches over the chick when it is on exhibit and guests can ask them for help finding it.

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