Flamingo chicks learn to fly in ‘natural nursery’

Approximately 18,000 flamingos that hatched two months ago in the İzmir Bird Sanctuary, one of the world's leading artificial breeding islands, began to flap their wings in the "nursery" to fly.

The original natural nesting island in the İzmir Bird Sanctuary (Gediz Delta), which was one of the two breeding grounds of flamingos, which have an important place in Anatolian culture, has disappeared over time due to wave erosion.

Therefore, the world's largest artificial hatchery island was created in 2012 on an area of approximately 6,500 square meters and the number of flamingos increased gradually.

The artificial island was cleaned of hard objects and prepared for the hatching season so that flamingo couples would not have difficulty in nesting. The island, which is reorganized every year by the 4th Regional Directorate of Nature Conservation and National Parks, has hosted thousands of flamingos since May.

Six flamingos, born two months ago by breaking their eggs on the island, where no people are allowed from outside, acquire their first flying skills in the İzmir Bird Paradise.

As a result of remote observations, it is estimated that between 16,000 and 18,000 babies were born in the bird paradise, where the exact number of flamingos will be determined by the nest count to be made after the birds move to other areas and leave the island.

The flamingo chicks, followed closely by the teams of the İzmir branch of the 4th Regional Directorate of Nature Conservation and National Parks, met with water about one month after they hatched.

After hatching, the flamingo chicks with black and smoked feathers are fed with artemia salina, a type of arthropod also known as salt shrimp.

The...