Wet pink birds
Winter seems to have arrived back with an icy blast and the weekend's squalls of rain have been battering the Slimbridge flamingos from all directions. The flamingos have remained unperturbed however and have been out and about in all weathers; in fact only the lessers seem to have had the good sense to remain indoors until the sunshine has re-emerged. The new arrivals in this flock are settling in well and appear to be integrating happily with the other birds. "APC" and "ASH", two blue ringed birds, can often be seen together, muscling in to what's going on in the middle of the main flock.
Whilst the lesser flamingos were snug and dry inside, the other species of flamingo seemed to be of the opinion that rain is no barrier to outdoor fun and frolics. The structure of a flamingo flock really changes as the rain gets heavier, and birds that are otherwise off, out-and-about doing their own thing, come back together and move as one large flock. This type of society, a "fission-fusion" system, is common in species such as baboons and starlings, and it may have a role in flamingo social behaviour too. Fission-fusion means smaller groups separate out from a main, larger group, but come back together at certain times of the day or for specific events. Here's a short clip of the Chilean flock's behaviour in the rain: http://youtu.be/gEzHrRvFetU
And likewise, the greater flamingos too (short clip below). The birds know which part of their enclosure gives them the best protection, so they will all move down that way. Interesting to see (in the video) how the white-faced whistling ducks, in the foreground of the shot, are doing the same behaviour as the flamingos. Perhaps "rain avoidance" techniques are not special to the pink birds at all!
[yframe url='https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gEzHrRvFetU']
