GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION:
West Indies &
Northern South America
CONSERVATION STATUS:
Threatened
SUMMARY:
This sub-species is the brightest coloured of all flamingos.
Males are larger than females but otherwise have the same
appearance.
Plumage is bright scarlet/pink with black primary feathers.
The intensity of the colour is affected by their diet.
In the West Indies these birds have been killed for food,
for sport and for their plumage.
Only the vigilant action of conservationists has been able
to preserve a small remnant of the large colonies that formerly
nested in the Bahamas.
A Reflection on
Conservation
The Park launched in March 2002 an ambitious conservation project
working closely with The Slimbridge Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust
in Gloucestershire.
There are only around 80,000 Caribbean Flamingos left in the
wild.
They face many problems that include pollution,
loss of habitat through global warming and development,
and sadly they are being hunted for their beautiful feathers,
for meat and simply for sport.
Flamingos like to breed in large secure colonies,
but the Park only has nine Caribbean Flamingos.
THIS IS THE FLAMINGO CHALLENGE!
The Park is hoping to create a bit of magic ~ it's all done
with mirrors
In order to reproduce, a large audience of their own kind is
essential, but what is to be done when there are not enough
other flamingos to spur them on?
The idea was to install a wall of mirrors strategically positioned
around the nesting sites to create an optical illusion to fool
the Caribbeans into believing they were greater in number. An
appeal requesting any used mirrors was put out and over a couple
of months over 200 mirrors were donated to the Park. This unusual
story not only captured the public's imagination but also the
attention of the Press. The Park not only received local and
national press coverage with radio and television stations picking
up the story, but also reached America and Germany.
On reflection, the mirrors seemed to have done the trick.
In May 2002, the first Caribbean egg was laid. Then three
other females started to lay ~ and then they would not
stop laying!!
Over the course of three months four female Caribbean
flamingos produced a total of 17 eggs. Unfortunately, only two
eggs were fertile. There was a back up plan though.
The Park's Chilean flamingo colony has been breeding successfully
since 1982. Some Chilean eggs were abandoned and put into the
incubator. Upon pipping four Chilean eggs were placed under
the Caribbeans and they have raised four orphaned chicks! The
Park is hoping that next spring the Caribbeans will finally
get it right and successfully rear their own. Who knows, suffering
illusions of grandeur may not be such a bad thing after all!
