Fostered flamingos just as friendly

Date:
April 8, 2021
Source:
University of Exeter
Summary:
Flamingo chicks raised by foster parents from another flamingo
species develop normally, scientists say.



FULL STORY ========================================================================== Flamingo chicks raised by foster parents from another flamingo species
develop normally, scientists say.


==========================================================================
Six Chilean flamingo chicks were reared by Andean flamingos -- a species
of similar size and behaviour -- at WWT Slimbridge Wetland Centre in
the summer of 2018.

University of Exeter scientists studied the chicks' behaviour after they
re- joined the Chilean flamingo flock early in 2019.

The results showed fostering had no negative effects, with fostered
flamingos still forming stable social ties -- making "friends" and
behaving like parent- reared birds.

"Slimbridge's Andean flamingos hadn't nested for about 20 years," said
Dr Paul Rose, of the University of Exeter.

"But in the hot summer of 2018 -- probably due to the high temperatures --
they made nests and laid eggs.



========================================================================== "Unfortunately, the eggs turned out to be infertile, possibly due to
the age of the birds -- some of them are approaching their 60s.

"To give them enrichment (allowing them to behave naturally), keepers
placed six eggs from the Chilean flamingo flock to be raised by the
Andean flamingos.

"This gave us a rare opportunity to study the effects of fostering --
although it should be noted that these species are remarkably similar, and
this would not have been attempted otherwise." Peter Kidd, then a student
on Exeter's MSc Animal Behaviour course, observed and recorded the chicks' behaviour from April to July 2019 (after their return to their own flock).

These observations were used to study integration and social networks.



==========================================================================
"The six fostered chicks and seven parent-reared chicks quickly bonded
back together," Kidd said.

"We found very slight behavioural differences -- small enough to be
explained by individual variation -- and all chicks became embedded in
the wider social network of the group.

"They all had favoured 'friends' to spend time with, which is normal
flamingo behaviour." Species including the Andean flamingo rare in
captivity (only two flocks worldwide) and are classified as "vulnerable"
in the wild.

Flamingos can be challenging to breed regularly in captivity, so the
findings about successful fostering may help zoo conservation programmes.

"Foster rearing appears to be a safe method for conservation breeding
of these species if done correctly," Dr Rose said.

"It is important to note that this fostering
event went so smoothly because of the expert
flamingo knowledge within the animal care teams at WWT." ========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by University_of_Exeter. Note: Content
may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Peter Kidd, Paul Rose. Influences of Rearing Environment on
Behaviour and
Welfare of Captive Chilean Flamingos: A Case Study on Foster-Reared
and Parent-Reared Birds. Journal of Zoological and Botanical
Gardens, 2021; 2 (2): 174 DOI: 10.3390/jzbg2020013 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/04/210408131443.htm

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