Baby boom amongst Longleat's flamingo flock
It's been a busy summer at the Wiltshire safari park.
The Chilean flamingos at Longleat have had a very 'productive' couple of months - with 14 chicks already hatched, and more still due to arrive this year.
Keeper Lauren Hooper-Bow said:
"We are extremely pleased with the high hatching success rate among the flamingos this year.
"With the number of eggs still to hatch, it could be our best year to date and it's particularly welcome as in 2019 heavy snow showers prevented the flamingos from sitting on any of their eggs.
"This year's success is likely to be down to a combination of factors including good weather during the egg hatching period, having a large colony and the fact so many of the eggs were fertile."
HOW MANY EGGS DO FLAMINGOS LAY?
They tend to lay a single egg, on top of a tall cone nest.
The chicks are born with white plumage, which lasts for their first three years.
They also have a straight bill, which gradually droops downwards as they get older.
Flamingos tend to live around 15 to 20 years in the wild, but can survive up to about 70 years in captivity, where they're safe from predators.
Their famous pink feathers come from pigments in their diet, which is also replicated in their feed at Longleat.