A flock of 89 “marching” Chilean flamingos and a crowd dressed in pink? What more could we ask for on a beautiful, sunny Wednesday?
Wear your brightest shades of pink — and receive $2 off admission for your attire — to celebrate International Flamingo Day at The Louisville Zoo (1000 Trevilian Way), today, April 26. Get there quick: you won’t want to miss the “flamboyance” march of 89 flamingos moving into their Louisville Zoo habitat at 11 a.m. (side note: did you know a group of flamingos is called a flamboyance)? The Zoo’s “Pink Out” and Flamingo March will celebrate its recent addition of 49 new Chilean flamingos, bringing the total flamboyance to 89; two more are expected to arrive soon, bringing the total to 91 birds in the flock. The addition of the birds makes this the largest Chilean flock in North America, according to The Louisville Zoo's Website.
"It has been shown that larger flocks in human care are more successful at nesting, hatching eggs and raising chicks,” said Louisville Zoo Bird Curator James McKinney, posted on The Louisville Zoo website. “This change will increase the welfare of our birds overall. The Louisville Zoo is also partner of the AZA Andean Highland Flamingo SAFE program which supports the conservation of Andean, Chilean, and Puna flamingos. We hope to inspire guests with these spectacular birds so they will feel encouraged to help in our conservation efforts. In their natural range, flamingos are losing habitat due to the mining of rare earth minerals which are used in everyday electronics.”
For the curious, International Flamingo Day began in 2020; it was started by the Flamingo Specialist Group of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) to highlight the difference between the six flamingo species.
The Louisville Zoo is also encouraging guests to “adopt” a flamingo through its Animals Depend On Nature To Survive (A.D.O.P.T.S) program; funds help the facility support the flamingos’ care.
