Regular visitors to the Flamingo Habitat might have noticed something unusual at the end of summer 2008—many of the big, pink birds, which normally scamper through their muddy yard and scour the pools for food, were still. Sitting pretty, you might say. Keepers and curators, meanwhile, could hardly contain themselves.
 
The reason? Eggs. The first appearance of flamingo eggs in the history of Lincoln Park Zoo. The initial one was laid in late June. It cracked soon after—a common occurrence with these birds. But in the following weeks a dozen eggs—oblong rather than rounded like a chicken egg—appeared.

“Flamingos do everything together, from courtship to copulation to egg-laying,” explained Zoological Manager Elizabeth Bruccoleri, who added that recent renovations to the habitat have made the ground more level (allowing the breeding area to hold more water) and muddier (making it easier to build nest mounds), thus more conducive to reproduction.
 
As of the end of July the eggs were safe, being incubated by protective, potential parents. But as the 30-day incubation period came and went with no chicks appearing, keepers accepted the sad fact that none were fertilized.

Unfortunate. For sure. But this was a step in the right direction. A dozen signs of hope for flamingo chicks in the future of Lincoln Park Zoo.

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