Dr. Donnelly peers into the eyes of one of our flamingos.

Chilean flamingos are at the heart of the Zoo—literally! Our flamboyance (that’s the term for a group of flamingos) lives in the center of our park, where they greet guests with their soft pink plumage and raucous calls.

As part of our preventative approach to veterinary care, we recently took a step into the flamingo habitat to conduct a routine checkup on the flamboyance.

Over the course of nearly four hours, keepers and veterinary staff rounded up each flamingo to perform a comprehensive physical exam; measure their weight; draw blood for testing; replace old, faded identification bands with new ones; and administer a West Nile virus vaccine.

The Chilean flamingo is one of six flamingo species found throughout the world. They are considered near threatened due to human hunting and habitat loss. One of the greatest challenges they face is mining, which alters the ecosystems upon which they depend. You can help curb the ever-growing need for metals used in phones, tablets and other devices by recycling your electronics at the Zoo.