Four fluffy flamingo chicks hatch at Whipsnade Zoo

Image source, Whipsnade Zoo

Four new flamingo chicks have hatched at ZSL Whipsnade Zoo.

The eggs were kept in special incubators to make sure they stayed warm until a few days before they were due to hatch.

Then they were put back in their parents' nest so they could bond with them when they hatched.

Zookeepers say the young chicks are doing well and being looked after by both their parents.

Image source, Whipsnade Zoo

Image caption, The chicks are grey not pink because they get their bright colour from the food they eat

Gary Ward, Curator of Birds at ZSL said: "Both male and female flamingo parents feed their fluffy, grey chicks with bright red "crop milk," which is made in the linings of their digestive tract, and contains fat, protein and blood cells.

"Incredibly, you can usually spot the new parents in a group, because they give so much of their own pigment to their chicks that they almost turn white!"