Gay flamingo couple surprises caretakers by hatching a chick at zoo

In a delightful display of love and dedication, Curtis and Arthur, a gay pair of Chilean flamingos at Paignton Zoo in Devon, England have successfully hatched a chick. This remarkable event marks the first successful hatching of Chilean flamingo chicks at the zoo since 2018.

Pete Smallbones, the zoo’s bird curator, shared his excitement, saying, “Regarding the same-sex parenting, we aren’t entirely sure how this has come about, although it is a known phenomenon in Chilean flamingos, as well as other bird flocks. The most likely scenario is that the egg was abandoned by another couple, so this pair have adopted it.”

Related:

A gay swan couple built a nest together so the zoo gave them 3D-printed eggs to raise

The zoo wanted to give Billy and Elliot the chance to engage in instinctual reproductive behavior.

Curtis and Arthur are part of an initiative called Love Lagoon — inspired by the reality TV series Love Island — which aims to better document and engage the public with social media updates of the flamingo couples.

Never Miss a Beat

Subscribe to our newsletter to stay ahead of the latest LGBTQ+ political news and insights.

Daily

Weekly

Good News

Earlier this year, Paignton Zoo launched a special Valentine’s Day campaign encouraging the public to name their flamingos. The “Name a Flamingo” initiative was a hit, with names being suggested and voted on through the zoo’s Instagram channel. Among the other flamingo couples who have successfully hatched chicks are Florence and Flame, Frenchie and Del, and Flossie and Lando.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Paignton Zoo (@paigntonzoo)

Paignton Zoo’s breeding program really shows the bird team’s dedication in fighting these issues and making sure the species survive. Chilean flamingos, native to South America, face several threats in the wild, including egg-harvesting, tourism disturbance, and habitat degradation due to industrial mining operations.

“It’s a testament to the skill and hard work put in by the bird team, and we are hopeful that we may see more eggs hatch over the coming days and weeks,” Smallbones added.

Related:

Can animals be gay? Same-sex behavior is natural

Same-sex behaviors have been observed in over 1,500 animal species. It’s both fascinating and surprisingly controversial.

Can flamingos be gay?

Call it ironic that a group of flamingos is called a flamboyance, but this isn’t the first time same-sex bird pairs have become parents. In 2022, two gay flamingo dads adopted a chick that was previously abandoned by its biological parents at ZSL Whipsnade Zoo in England.

A pair of (childless) gay flamingos Freddie Mercury and Lance Bass also made headlines in 2022 after breaking up following a three-year relationship.

Same-sex behavior isn’t unique to flamingos; many bird species, including penguins (like Sphen and Magic), and swans (like Billy and Elliot) also display homosexual behavior. These observations highlight the diversity of animal behaviors and challenge the notion that heterosexuality is the only natural sexual orientation in the animal kingdom.

Subscribe to the LGBTQ Nation newsletter to stay updated on the latest news, politics, and prideful moments in the LGBTQ+ community

Don't forget to share: