Flamingos are monogamous – once they mate, they tend to stay with their partner and build a nest together, raise their chicks together, and protect them from predators. However, raising a chick is not just the task of the pair. It takes the whole flock to stick together, protect the group and create a safe environment for raising the young. Flamingos in one flock are so close that even they even mate all at the same time, which means that also the chicks all hatch at the same time. Every female just lays one egg at a time, which is a little bigger than a chicken egg. It takes 27 to 31 days until the chicks hatch and become independent adults when they are 3 to 5 years old.
Did you know that the chicks are only turning pink within these first years of life? They are born white or grey and only turn pink if they eat enough beta-carotene, which you find in the crustaceans and plankton that flamingos normally eat.
