Fluffy flamingo chicks hatch at WWT Martin Mere in Lancashire

The greater flamingo chicks emerged between late April and early May and have quickly begun exploring their surroundings, typically venturing from their nests within a week of hatching.

Covered in soft grey down, the young flamingos will gradually turn pink over the next two years as they mature, a transformation caused by carotenoids in their diet.

The new arrivals remain with the flamingo flock and are being looked after by the adult birds (Image: Lisa Wilkinson-Gamble)

The chicks remain with the main flock and are cared for by both adult flamingos and the centre’s living collection team.

Visitors may notice the chicks gathered in a “crèche,” a form of flamingo day care where a small group of adults act as babysitters while the chicks stay close by.

Chicks are fed “crop milk,” a nutrient-rich substance regurgitated directly into the chick’s beak from the parents.

This milk is high in fat, protein, and carotenoid pigments.

Adult flamingos caring for chicks can often be identified by their paler pink colouring, a result of nutrient loss while feeding their young.

As the chicks grow, their beaks will begin to develop the characteristic downward curve of adult flamingos, allowing them to filter-feed on brine shrimp, insect larvae, and algae.

The arrival of the chicks is just in time for the May half-term, with visitors able to spot them at the Greater Flamingo habitat throughout the break.

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Victoria Fellowes, Visitor Experience Manager at Martin Mere, said: “Flamingos at Martin Mere have been wowing visitors since not long after opening in 1975.

“Some of the flamingos in the flock are even around 50 years in age.

“We’ve seen generations of chicks successfully hatch into the flock, and we’re hopeful for many more years of adorable chicks to come.”