Bird lovers have something to look forward to while visiting the Schonbrunn Zoo in Vienna. Now, they can enjoy the sight of more flamingos.
Just recently 19 pink flamingos were hatched in the zoo facility. And as more eggs are still being incubated, reports have it that this number can set a new record for the long-legged birds.
This tall and wading bird species normally mate during winter time. Once hatched from the eggs, the baby flamingos stay in their next and underneath the feather of their parents most of the time.
In their early life, the baby birds are usually fed with crop milk by their parents. This is a secretion coming from the esophagus of the parent and one which is rich in protein and fats.
When they’re older, they catch crabs, shrimp and blue-green algae straight from the water. In fact, their pink color is said to be a result of their crab consumption. The flamingos are usually light pink or bright red in color. This is due to the aqueous bacteria and beta carotene obtained from what they eat notably animal and plant plankton. So a health bird can be distinguished by its bright color while a pale one is considered unhealthy or malnourished.
At the Schonbrunn Zoo, however, these flamingos are fed with special food. The first flamingo hatched in a zoo in Europe was a Chilean bird in Switzerland way back in 1958.
Flamingos are very social birds and are native in many parts of the world including the U.S., Carribean, east Africa and southern Europe.
