Zoo keepers at Longleat Safari & Adventure Park have
nicknamed five Chilean Flamingo chicks “Thunderbirds” after the eggs were
abandoned by their parents during a thunderstorm.

Photo Credit:  Longleat Safari & Adventure Park

A violent thunderstorm apparently caused
the parents to flee the nest and take shelter. 
When the adult Flamingoes did not return to the nest, zoo keepers at the
United Kingdom zoo collected the eggs from the nests and placed them in an
incubator, where they hatched.  Now about
a month old, the five chicks are fed by syringe five times per day.

Adult flamingos build a volcano-shaped nest and lay a
single egg, which they then usually sit on for around a month.  “It’s extremely unusual for all the parents
to abandon their eggs at the same time, however the storm was particularly
severe and the adults decided to head for cover – leaving us to look after the
eggs,” said Longleat’s Mark Tye.

All Flamingo chicks are born with white plumage, which they keep for around
three years.  The bright red pigment in Flamingoes’
feathers is derived from pigments in the small crustaceans and other
microscopic plants that the birds eat. 
In zoos, special pigments are added to the Flamingoes’ diet to maintain
their brilliant hues.

Chilean Flamingoes are native to lakes high in the Andes Mountains of South
America and can easily withstand cold temperatures.