Flamingo chicks join the flock at Dublin Zoo

Dublin Zoo is celebrating the arrival of nine Chilean Flamingo chicks.

The chicks hatched after a 30-day incubation and now join the 86-strong flock at the zoo. With a number of eggs still in the nest, keepers are eagerly awaiting several more hatchlings in the coming weeks.

The Chilean Flamingo is famed for its striking pink plumage with crimson feathers along the edge of the wings. They stand over a metre tall and with a wingspan of up to 100cm.

At birth, the chicks have a grey, white plumage which they lose gradually over a two or three-year period when their pink feathers begin to show. Their colour comes from carotenoid pigments which they consume as part of their diet.

Keeper Lee Byrne said: “We are delighted with the arrival of the chicks. They were all hatched within two weeks of each other, so it has been an exciting time at Flamingo Lagoon. About four days after hatching they left their nest and ventured towards the water.”