Same-sex flamingo couple thrives as first-time parents, successfully hatching and nurturing a chick

A pair of first-time flamingo foster dads have successfully raised a chick at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, marking a heartwarming achievement for the same-sex couple. The flamingos, both in their 40s, had previously been practicing their parenting skills by incubating a fake egg. After proving their capabilities, they were given a real egg, which they successfully hatched.

The zoo has reported that the chick, which is roughly the size of a tennis ball, is doing well under the care of its foster parents. Footage shared by the zoo shows the small, grey chick being nurtured by the two flamingos. The pair takes turns brooding, ensuring the chick is well-fed with crop milk, a nutrient-rich secretion produced by both male and female flamingos.

The zoo explained that crop milk is produced in response to the chick’s begging calls and is essential for its growth. Flamingo parents even temporarily lose their famous pink colour during this period, as they secrete large volumes of this milk.

This success is part of a growing trend of same-sex flamingo couples thriving as parents. Curtis and Arthur, another male flamingo pair, successfully raised a chick in the UK earlier this year. Similarly, at the Denver Zoo, Freddie Mercury and Lance Bass were previously a popular same-sex couple who helped raise flamingo chicks for breeding pairs who couldn’t do so themselves.