PREVIEW

Paignton Zoo's pair of gay flamingos, Curtis and Arthur, have become parents to a chick. The zoo is celebrating the arrival of several Chilean flamingo chicks, marking the first successful hatching of the species at the zoo since 2018. The vibrant new additions are the offspring of several flamingo couples - with Curtis and Arthur stunning keepers by also taking to parenting. The mystery surrounding how Curtis and Arthur, the same-sex pair, acquired their chick has sparked curiosity. Pete Smallbones, Curator of Birds at the Devon attraction, said: "Regarding the same-sex parenting, we aren't entirely sure how this has come about although it is a known phenomenon in Chilean flamingos as well as other bird flocks. The most likely scenario is that the egg was abandoned by another couple, so this pair have 'adopted' it." Other flamingo couples that have successfully hatched chicks include Florence and Flame, Frenchie and Del, and Flossie and Lando. These flamingos were named by the public earlier this year as part of a zoo initiative called 'Love Lagoon,' inspired by the reality TV series 'Love Island' . Flamingo eggs take approximately 28 days to hatch, with both parents taking turns incubating the eggs on mud pile nests. The chicks, covered in grey downy feathers, look quite different from their vibrant adult counterparts. While there are currently four chicks on the zoo's flamingo island, more eggs are still incubating.