The latest item of incredibly adorable Chicago news belongs to a flamingo that just hatched last week Friday at Lincoln Park Zoo. The announcement was made public today.
The Chilean flamingo chick is the zoo's first-ever flamingo hatch and weighs in at a staggering .95kg or .2 pounds, which is roughly the weight of a bar of soap, according to the zoo (we'd say the soap is heavier though). Adult flamingos can grow up to just over 4 feet in height and weigh nearly 8 pounds. Adults can live 40-50 years.
The gender of the precious little bird is not yet known, but will likely be revealed soon. Incredibly, the eggshell shards the bird left behind will be analyzed by scientists to determine its sex. The chick hasn't turned pink yet and won't for some time. It takes about 2-3 years for young flamingos' fuzzy gray plumage to mature to pink.
The flamingo won't be seen anytime soon either. Zoo staff currently have the hatchling under constant supervision to ensure its health. Exactly when it will join the flamingos at the Lincoln Park Zoo's Waterfowl Lagoon is unknown.
Traditionally, male and female flamingos are monogamous and each help construct a mounded nest of mud and plant debris to house their single egg. That egg will be the one and only egg the pair lays that year—if it prematurely cracks, the couple will not make another. Both male and female flamingos can feed their young a milk-like substance from their crop gland, a muscular pouch in their throat.
The Chilean flamingo is native to South America in Chile, Peru, Argentina, Ecuador and parts of Brazil. Chilean flamingos are a deeper pink than greater flamingos, but less vibrant than Caribbean flamingos. The pink coloration of their feathers is caused by their diet of plankton, algae, shrimp and crustaceans.
Another fun fact: what looks like a flamingo's knee is actually its ankle. Their knees are higher up their legs, obscured by feathers.
Several other eggs are being incubated by the Lincoln Park Zoo, so expect more cute photos of flamingo babies soon. Until next time, enjoy:
Photograph: Christopher Bijalba/Lincoln Park Zoo
Photograph: Christopher Bijalba/Lincoln Park Zoo
Photograph: Christopher Bijalba/Lincoln Park Zoo
Photograph: Christopher Bijalba/Lincoln Park Zoo
Photograph: Christopher Bijalba/Lincoln Park Zoo
Photograph: Christopher Bijalba/Lincoln Park Zoo