MIAMI – A Caribbean flamingo hatched at Zoo Miami nearly two weeks ago, Zoo Miami Communications Director Ron Magill confirmed in a press release on Wednesday.
According to Magill, the sex of the flamingo is still unknown and several other eggs are still incubating.
Recommended Videos
Magill said the egg was “artificially incubated to avoid the risk of loss to environmental conditions such as predation or extreme weather.”
The incubation period was four weeks long and the parents of the Caribbean Flamingo are a 21-year-old female and a 9-year-old male, according to the zoo.
Magill said the baby flamingo has been “feeding well under the care of the Animal Science staff in the Avian Propagation Center at the zoo” since its hatching on June 14.
Following its regular feeding, the Flamingo participates in daily walks and swimming sessions to help with its physical development, the Zoo stated in the press release.
Once the flamingo develops its full set of feathers and starts feeding on its own, it will be introduced to the flock, where animal experts say, “It will be accepted without any issues.”
“The Caribbean or American flamingo is one of the largest and most brightly colored of all the flamingo species. It ranges from Mexico through the Caribbean and into South America with a small population in the Galapagos Islands,” Zoo Miami said in a press release Wednesday.
“Thanks in part to the efforts of the Conservation and Research Team at Zoo Miami, Caribbean flamingos are now officially listed as a native Florida bird having nested in great numbers within the state many decades ago,” Magill said.
Zoo Miami officials hope the species will take up permanent residency and successfully reproduce while at the zoo.
View more pictures of the zoo’s newest addition below.