Flamingo diary

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

Goodbye to the Greater Flamingos!

Goodbye to the Greater Flamingos!

There's a big change to the flamingo collection at WWT Slimbridge Wetland Centre. The large flock of greater flamingos has vacated the “Flamingo Lagoon” exhibit. Greater flamingos have been resident at WWT Slimbridge since the “Severn Wildfowl Trust

15 November 2023

Young birds of a feather like to flock together

Young birds of a feather like to flock together

Autumn is now upon us but this Flamingo Blog is all about flamingo chicks and the summer breeding season. Summer in the UK is when flamingos are likely to start nesting. These are, after all, birds that like to nest in areas of heat and lots of sunshine.

11 September 2023

Flamingo dads are flamtastic!

Flamingo dads are flamtastic!

Flamingo dads are some of the most hardworking and devoted of parents in the animal kingdom. Find out why in this Flamingo Diary post!

6 June 2023

Birds of a feather really do flock together

Birds of a feather really do flock together

New research from WWT Slimbridge shows that flamingos choose their friends based on similar personalities. It seems that birds of a feather really do flock together and opposites might not attract!

20 March 2023

Indoor flamingos- how do we know they are OK?

Indoor flamingos- how do we know they are OK?

When you see WWT flamingos housed indoors, like they may be during an bird 'flu outbreak, it is important to ensure they are comfortable and can behave as normal. But how do we know they are OK? Find out more in this festive edition of Flamingo Diary.

27 December 2022

Ancient dinners for ancient birds

Ancient dinners for ancient birds

No doubt avid readers of the WWT Flamingos Diary are familiar with the filtering behaviour, and unique bill anatomy, that all six species of flamingo use to collect their food. These bill and behavioural adaptations allow flamingos to inhabit extreme wetl

2 October 2022

Educating the world about pink birds

Educating the world about pink birds

The flamingos and other animals in the living collection at WWT centres are not just housed to look beautiful and be interesting for visitors to see. They play a vitally important role in education and engagement, providing a valuable link to the natural

24 June 2022

Ten years of flamingo friends

Ten years of flamingo friends

WWT has a long standing research theme investigating the social lives of the flamingos in our care. Across all six species, we have collected data on their likes and dislikes, their personalities and differences in activity. We have looked at how colour,

24 May 2022

Tough Birds, Fragile Homes. International Flamingo Day 2022

Tough Birds, Fragile Homes. International Flamingo Day 2022

International Flamingo Day (IFD) occurs each year on 26th April. It is a day set up by the IUCN Flamingo Specialist Group (FSG) to celebrate the six amazing species of flamingo and their wonderful wetland homes. Of these six species, four are of conservat

8 April 2022

Flamingo Diary is back!

Flamingo Diary is back!

It's been a tumultuous few months (and couple of years to be fair!) for the living collections at WWT, what with a global pandemic and a UK-wide Avian Influenza restrictions for their dedicated living collections keepers to contend with, but as spring fir

29 March 2022

When is a WWT flamingo a happy flamingo?

When is a WWT flamingo a happy flamingo?

What is animal welfare? And how do we measure it? Why is WWT's bird welfare award winning. Find out more in this issue of the Flamingo Diary.

30 August 2021

60 years of flamingos at WWT

60 years of flamingos at WWT

This year, 2021, is a special year for the flamingos (and the people that love and look after them) at WWT as it marks the 60th anniversary of these ever-popular members of the living collections being cared for by WWT. Back in 1961, three pioneer groups

14 June 2021

Celebrate flamingos and International Flamingo Day

Celebrate flamingos and International Flamingo Day

Here at WWT we need no excuse to talk about how amazing flamingos are and why we love them so much. But we have an extra good reason to do this in April... International Flamingo Day! This day is a chance to celebrate and appreciate the amazing birds that

23 April 2021

Flamingos are flamtastic mothers

Flamingos are flamtastic mothers

Why are flamingos such devoted mothers? What does it take to raise a baby flamingo to adulthood? And why have the parenting behaviours of flamingos made them see in the same way as woodpeckers do? Find out more.

5 March 2021

Flamingos in lockdown

Flamingos in lockdown

Welcome to the New Year flamingo fans. And another round of lockdown. For the WWT flamingos, like many birds up and down the country, it’s been lockdown for them too as the Avian Influenza outbreak means that we have to keep our birds safely inside out

30 January 2021