Exploring the Effect of the COVID-19 Zoo Closure Period on Flamingo Behaviour and Enclosure Use at Two Institutions
Visitors can influence the behaviour of zoo animals through their auditory and visual presence, with mixed findings of negative, neutral, and positive effects on welfare. This study opportunistically utilised the UK-wide COVID-19 period of zoo closure to investigate the activity and enclosure usage of Greater (Phoenicopterus roseus) and Chilean (P. chilensis) Flamingos housed at two […]
Visitor presence and a changing soundscape, alongside environmental parameters, can predict enclosure usage in captive flamingos
The sound environment of a zoo animal is a complex milieu of animal and human-generated sounds; coming from the species itself, other species, visitors, keepers and other zoo-users. Research determining how different components of the sound environment affect animal behaviour is surprisingly lacking but could have real-world impacts for animal welfare and zoo enclosure design. […]
What do we know about flamingo behaviors? A systematic review of the ethological research on the Phoenicopteridae (1978–2020)
We provide a systematic review of the current scope of published behavioral research on flamingos (Phoenicopteridae), to answer the following questions: (1) what is the profile of ethology and behavioral research on flamingos, (2) which are the behaviors displayed by flamingos already observed and described in nature and captivity, and (3) what are the prospects […]
Influences of Rearing Environment on Behaviour and Welfare of Captive Chilean Flamingos: A Case Study on Foster-Reared and Parent-Reared Birds
Behaviour signals the internal states that relate to an individual’s welfare and its development is influenced by the early social environment that an animal experiences. Husbandry practices can alter this early social environment, for example different rearing conditions (e.g., foster rearing by a surrogate parent of another species). Widespread implementation of altered rearing can lack […]
Behavioral Correlates of Post-Breeding Weight Change in a Captive Flock of American Flamingos (Phoenicopterus ruber ruber)
In a captive flock of American flamingos (Phoenicopterus ruber ruber), a pattern of weight loss after the breeding season was observed in the majority of individuals of both sexes, but weights eventually stabilized after several months. Social dominance (as determined by a 6-month behavioral study) was a highly significant predictor of early post-breeding weight loss, […]
Plumage variation and social partner choice in the greater flamingo (Phoenicopterus roseus)
There is evidence that plumage coloration is related to mate choice in several different bird species. However, the relationship between plumage coloration to mate or other social partner choice has rarely been investigated in flamingos. This is important to study because we know plumage coloration can be an indicator of welfare. We assessed plumage color […]