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Harewood House flamingo eggs hatch
A baby flamingo has been born at Harewood House - the first for 20 years.
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Just over a week ago Moortown Today reported how the flock, which stopped laying after a tree fell down in their enclosure in 1989, had produced five eggs.
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Staff at the stately home's bird garden thought the chicks would hatch close to July 28, 1989, the last time the baby birds were born.
But it was only on the morning of Tuesday, August 4, when the first head was seen peeking from beneath its mother's body.
Bird garden curator John Waller spotted the new-born, which has fluffy grey feathers, in one of the volcano-shaped nests made out of twigs and sticks.
He said: "It's like a cotton wool ball on a stick.
"It was one of the keepers who saw it first during feeding yesterday morning.
"The parents will sit for a couple of days yet, so we're going to leave them to pair and rear.
"When it's a bit older we will microchip it, ring it and have it sexed.
"It's great news for the breeding programme here as well."
There are four other unhatched eggs, but Mr Waller believes one maybe sterile.
The flock of 18 Chilean Flamingos were caught in the wild in south America and brought to Harewood in 1969.
It is thought the sudden shock of the tree fall stopped the mothers laying.
In a bid to encourage them, bird garden staff redesigned the enclosure making more mud flats and a bigger island.
Cardboard
They even made cardboard flamingos to 'boost' numbers as one theory as to their lack of laying was the 18-bird flock wasn't big enough.
Now it is a question of when the four remaining eggs hatch.
The incubation time is about 28 days.
Chilean Flamingos are one of the biggest with adults growing to more than 3ft (one metre) tall.
A diet of shrimps makes their plumage go pink but a harmless dye has to be added to their feed in captivity.
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Sunday 05 February 2012
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