Plan Your Visit to Edinburgh Zoo
We are open every day of the year, including Christmas Day, from 9am until:
| 6.00pm | April - Sept. |
| 5.00pm | Oct. & March |
| 4.30pm | Nov. - Feb. |
How you can help
The natural world needs our help...and we need yours! Please consider making a donation to support our conservation, education and research work, both within our parks and across the world.
Zoo News
Colourful antics see Edinburgh Zoo in the pink
27 August 2010 - Three fluffy flamingo chicks have hatched at Edinburgh Zoo in what has been an extremely successful breeding season, complete with some colourful breeding antics. Two breeding adult pairs have swapped partners this year; one pair now has a chick with the other pair incubating an egg of their own.
This is the second consecutive year that successful breeding has taken place for the flamingos. The first Chilean flamingo chick to hatch at Edinburgh Zoo was in 1979 but the next year of breeding success wasn’t until 1997 when three chicks hatched. This was followed by one in 2004, another four in 2006 and eight in 2009. With two eggs still likely to hatch, keepers hope that the number will increase, as more eggs could be laid up until October. As Nick Dowling, Keeper on the Bird Section at Edinburgh Zoo said, breeding has been encouraged by improvements to their enclosure.
“We are delighted that for a second year in a row our Chilean flamingos have bred. For us it is confirmation that the improvements we have made to their enclosure have really made a difference. The one thing we can’t control is the weather and while the warm, wet conditions we have experienced this summer may not be favoured by everyone it may have benefited the flamingos. From previous observations a wet period followed by sunshine appears to stimulate courtship and breeding behaviours in the birds.”
The chicks began to hatch on 7 August. They are pale grey and fluffy at this stage and won’t turn pink until they are one year old. Flamingos are pink due to the carotenoid pigments in the food they eat, particularly crustaceans such as shrimp. In zoos, they lose their pink colouring as their diet is different so the necessary pigments are incorporated into specialised pellets.
For further info
Clara Govier, Communications Officer 0131 314 0312
www.rzss.org.uk
Editor’s Notes
About Chilean Flamingos at Edinburgh Zoo
• Edinburgh Zoo has 28 adult Chilean flamingos - 17 males and 11 females.
• In addition to building the nest sites, the keepers also placed mirrors in the
enclosure to give the illusion that they were in a bigger flock as this makes them feel more
secure. They also brought in 10 more birds in early 2009 to help boost the group number.
• Edinburgh Zoo is owned by the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS), a
registered charity, charity no SC004064. For further information on all our conservation projects
and events, please visit our website –
www.edinburghzoo.org.uk
• The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) is a registered charity, charity no
SC004064. RZSS was founded by visionary lawyer Thomas Gillespie. The Society was set up in 1909 ‘to
promote, facilitate and encourage the study of zoology and kindred subjects and to foster and
develop amongst the people an interest in and knowledge of animal life’.
• RZSS is the UK Secretariat for the International Union for Conservation of Nature
(IUCN).
• Edinburgh Zoo is a member of the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums
(BIAZA). BIAZA represents its member collections and promotes the values of good zoos and
aquariums. For further information please telephone 020 7449 6351.
• 2010 is the International Year of Biodiversity.
About Chilean Flamingos
• There are six different species of flamingo. The Chilean flamingo ranges from Peru and
Chile to Argentina.
• They live in shallow salt water lakes and lagoons. Due to their secluded territory
they have very few natural predators. The species is threatened by environmental changes and
habitat loss.
• Chilean flamingos feed by filtering their food. They suck it upside down through their
bills while standing in shallow water.
• During the breeding season the female lays one egg which is incubated by both the male
and female for around a month, when the egg hatches.
• Flamingos have a long lifespan and have been known to live till they are 50 years old.
Keep up with all the latest news: