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Chick at Hatching
Newly-hatched chicks have gray or white down feathers, a straight red bill, and plump, swollen red or pink legs.
The leg swelling decreases approximately 48 hours after hatching, and the red bill and legs turn black in seven to ten days.
After hatching, a flamingo chick is not very agile. Movement is limited to pushing its wings or lifting its head.
Care of Young
Parents are able to recognize their own chick by sight and vocalizations. They will feed no other chick.
A flamingo chick will leave the nest after four to seven days, when it is strong enough to stand and walk. Parents keep a close, protective watch on their chick as it explores its habitat.
Chicks gather in large groups called creches (French for "crib"). Parents are able to locate their own chicks in the creche at feeding time.
Adults feed their chicks a secretion of the upper digestive tract referred to as "milk". "Milk" secretion is caused by the hormone prolactin, which both the male and female flamingo produce.
"Milk" is 8% to 9% protein and 15% fat, similar to mammal milk.
"Milk" is red in color due to the pigment canthaxanthin. Chicks store this pigment in the liver, to be deposited in their adult feathers when they grow.
Chick Development
Flamingo chicks are able to swim before they are typically old enough to leave the nest for good.
Young chicks have been seen imitating feeding methods while standing in shallow water.
Chicks begin to grow their flight feathers after 11 weeks. At the same time, the bill begins to hook, allowing the chick to feed itself.
Chicks lose their juvenile gray or white color gradually over a two or three year period, at which time their pink feathers begin to show.
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