Flamingos are one of the most popular animals exhibited in animal collections. If you’re keen to learn more about them and delve deeper in the ways in which WWT keeps its flamingos then follow Paul's diary up-to-date with all things flamingo. Paul Rose is a PhD student from the University of Exeter’s Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour, currently based in the Conservation Programmes Directorate at WWT, who is investigating the social behaviour of captive flamingo flock
Flamingo diary
The whistling flamingo.
I was going through some photos from my time over the past few months at Slimbridge in an attempt to start my data analysis when I came across two short videos of the James' flamingo (that very special bird) making an interesting noise. I have posted th
23 August 2012
Two's company in some cases.
Just a short note to highlight the strength of the relationships that can be seen between flamingos, illustrated beautifully by the Andean flamingos at WWT Slimbridge. I have mentioned two birds, JAU and JAY, before as an example of a pair of flamingos to
17 August 2012
A visit to the flamingos in Lancashire
A quick break from reporting on the birds down in the sunny South West, and a visit to WWT Martin Mere to speak with the knowledgeable and dedicated Julia Meldrum about her two flocks of flamingo; greater and Chilean. I am hoping to include these flocks i
12 August 2012
Flamingo researcher auf Deutsch
This week I have been in the same town of Bielefeld in north-east Germany, attending a workshop on developments in the field of animal social networks; how we can better understand what animals “get” out of the relationships that they form and why the
4 August 2012
Just as demanding as human children?
The young greater flamingos are growing up fast and are actually starting to resemble what a flamingo looks like now. Although they have their dirty grey plumage, which they will keep for a while, they are definitely more "flamingo shaped". All three chic
30 July 2012
Neighbourhood arguments.
The sunshine that we have all been craving has arrived with an intensity this week and the flamingos have certainly been spurred on by the mini heatwave. The Chilean flamingos have been squabbling and arguing with each other with renewed vigour, and this
26 July 2012
Lessers in their new home.
Whilst the greater flamingos in the new Flamingo Lagoon exhibit are the stars of the show, the lesser flamingos that have also recently moved into the revamped old greater flamingo pen (to the left of Flamingo Lagoon) have also settled in well. The avics
22 July 2012
Flamingo Lagoon officially open
The new greater flamingo enclosure at WWT Slimbridge was officially unveiled today and the sunken viewing area provides visitors with an excellent chance of observing flamingo behaviour at close-quarters. Whilst the birds have only been installed in their
17 July 2012
Checking on the new arrivals.
A brief installment to share a few photos of the new Caribbean flamingo chicks. Five cute little bundles of fluff have recently hatched and with more eggs pipped and ready to go, there should be a nice big brood of new birds gracing the nest island before
8 July 2012
So much soil!
Just a quick update to share the hard work of Phil, Sparky, and co in getting ready for the grand opening of the new flamingo exhibit in a few weeks time. This enclosure will see, eventually, around 500 greater flamingos on display making this one of the
4 July 2012
Brand new baby!
The first Caribbean flamingo chick has hatched today. Pipping (breaking out) of the egg yesterday, the chick was returned to the nest site on which it was laid, and this morning Phil was pleased to report a healthy chick had completely emerged from the sh
3 July 2012
How to spot a friendly flamingo.
My PhD is investigating the relationships that exist between different individual birds within the flocks at WWT Slimbridge. I hope to expand this to other WWT centres in the future to get an over-view of what types of interaction these flamingos are invo
26 June 2012
Diamond flamingos.
As the UK celebrates 60 years of the reign of H.M. the Queen (incidentally the Patron of WWT), and reflects on her long-term of exemplary service in office, I thought it would be interesting and topical to draw attention to the longevity and tenacity o
3 June 2012
Sun, sand and lots of shovelling.
And so the sunshine continues, and with it renewed efforts on the part of the aviculture team to make life even more enjoyable for their pink feathered friends. Today, Phil and his colleagues dug out and re-modelled nests for the Chilean flamingos (the la
24 May 2012
Lesser only in name.
Introducing the smallest flamingo. The Latin (scientific) name of the lesser flamingo, Phoeniconaias minor, means "crimson water nymph", perfectly apt for this, the smallest and one of the brightest species of flamingo. WWT Slimbridge holds the largest ca
12 May 2012