Two male flamingos hatch an egg together at San Diego zoo

Two male flamingos have become part of the community of same-sex co-parents after successfully hatching an egg at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park.

These foster fathers, both in their 40s, belong to the lesser flamingo species, native to sub-Saharan Africa and western India, as noted by the zoo. The chick they have hatched is also a lesser flamingo.

According to ‘The Guardian’, the flamingos were initially given a dummy egg to care for earlier this year. After proving themselves capable, they received a real egg, which they hatched successfully.

Image Credit: Canva

“The pair has perfected their fatherly duties by alternating brooding responsibilities,” the zoo shared in a social media update.

Having a two-dad flamingo family is not unheard of. Earlier this year, two male flamingos named Curtis and Arthur at a zoo in the UK also successfully hatched a chick.

The foster parent flamingos at San Diego Zoo feed their chick crop “milk,” a nutritive secretion from their upper digestive tract. “Both males and females can feed the chick this way, and even flamingos that are not the parents can act as foster-feeders,” the zoo explained.

Stories of unusual bird hatchings often captivate the public.

For instance, an eagle at a Missouri bird sanctuary became popular online after he attempted to hatch a rock.

In 2017, two male griffon vultures at Artis Amsterdam Royal Zoo managed to hatch an abandoned egg.

Two years ago, at a zoo in New York state, a same-sex male Humboldt penguin couple successfully hatched an egg. This egg had been glued back together after the breeding pair, Poquita and Vente, cracked it and handed it over to the male penguins. Elmer and Lima, the male penguins, were also given a fake egg to practice on before hatching the real one.

“It takes practice,” said zoo director Ted Fox, observing that some couples argue over who will sit on the egg and when. “That’s how we evaluate who will be good foster parents – and Elmer and Lima were exemplary in every aspect of egg care.”

Read related myGwork articles here:

Gay flamingos "adopted" and hatched abandoned egg together

Flamingo Dads Raise Abandoned Chick

Same-Sex Penguin Couple Fostering Second Egg

Keep up to date with the latest myGnews

LGBTQ+ professionals, LGBTQ+ Graduates, LGBTQ+ professional network, LGBTQ+ professional events, LGBTQ+ networking events, LGBTQ+ Recruitment, LGBTQ+ Friendly organizations, LGBTQ+ Friendly companies, LGBTQ+ jobs