A Flamingo Chick Called Flimgo

We had some great ideas for names from our naming-competition a couple of months ago when this little chick was hatched...

Some of the suggestions were:

• Snowball

• Flimgo

• Flingo

• Harry

• Lucky

• Julian Clarey

• Pinky

• Pinkish

• Fluffy

• Fennella the flamingo

• Phoebie the Flamingo

• John’s little Miracle

• Alice (as in wonderland)

Of all the entries the one that seemed to fit best was 'Flimgo'...not least because that's what most small children say when they can't quite manage 'flamingo'!!

The little chick (now known as Flimgo) is doing well and is looking more and more flamingo-like every day. Flimgo is already approximately 70cm high, fully stood up!

Flimgo has been feeding from a food bowl on the ground (at a lower level than the adult bowls) for just over two weeks now, but is still also being fed by the parents too. When they regurgitate the ‘crop milk’ it’s a bright pink colour. 

At the moment Flimgo still has grey downy juvenile plumage, but is gradually getting adult plumage; you can see some small primary flight pin wing-feathers developing and some pin feathers coming through on its body. Flimgo will still be a grey colour until sometime next year. 

Flimgo has been seen practising resting on one leg as the adult Flamingos do and can also swim quite well.

The flamingos spend the cold winter months in the boathouse here at Harewood to keep them out of the worst of the weather. Flimgo is now large enough to be tucked up in the boat house winter quarters with all the adults overnight, without the risk of being trampled on, or pecked by other adult Flamingos.

You can follow our blog for regular updates and interesting news titbits from Harewood, and find out more about our Chilean Flamingos on the Bird Garden webpages.

 

Image Credit: Anthony Hicks & Peter Stubbs.