Carribean Flamingos find new home at Birdland

Settling in Quarantine

Enjoying a fabulous change of scene at Birdland in Bourton-on-the-Water, a group of nine Caribbean flamingos are finding friends amongst the park’s resident group of six.

Arriving from Colchester Zoo earlier in July, the birds initially spent a few days off display before being introduced to the flock and are integrating extremely well, becoming familiar with the river and bathing regularly after spending most of their time on land.

Originally belonging to the late President of the Aviculture Society, Raymond Sawyer, the move is hoped to encourage breeding of this stunning species, as the original group of six have produced eggs in the past.

Plans are in earnest to revamp the enclosure to further encourage breeding activity, as Caribbean flamingos require crowded conditions to reproduce. These include expanding the nest island and placing mirrors around the nests to fool the flamingos into thinking there are more birds present than there actually are.   

Birdland Director, Simon Blackwell, says: “We’re really excited to have these fantastic flamingos at Birdland, who are settling in really well and I’m sure will prove a popular addition to our ever-expanding flock.”

Flamingos enjoy the sunshine at Birdland

The hot weather is also affecting another of Birdland’s residential groups - the Greater Flamingos, who are busy building new nests. With keepers providing a pump to provide a slow water flow to help the birds construct their mud nests, there has been plenty of exhibitionist 'flagging' displays where the birds stand tall, hold their wings out and turn their heads from side to side.

Birdland Head Keeper Alastair says: “The activity going on in the flamingo camp is really exciting and we are hopeful for some eggs to be laid soon.” 

The four previous Greater Flamingo chicks at Birdland hatched late in the year and had to be hand-reared by the keepers, which involved six feeds a day of a mix of fish, prawns, bran, eggs and water. Meanwhile, fingers are crossed for a new generation of flamingos in the forthcoming months.