Some thoughts on flamingo aviaries versus open enclosure:
In the UK at least, Herring Gulls are increasingly inclined to steal chicks and even in some cases attack adult flamingos. They also eat eat expensive flamingo food, as do wild mallards. It is likely that a bird with full sets of wing feathers on both sides is less vulnerable to cold, and may 'do' better generally [including breeding] as a result. With the cessation of wild imports, zoos need to keep their flamingos into old age, and breed them. All of this makes a good case for covered aviaries.
However, no aviary can look as 'natural' as an open enclosure. Full-winged birds in an aviary are vulnerable to injury if they panic and crash into side or roof netting.
Regarding wing clipping [or pinioning, which is actually more general]. I suggest there is a big difference between preventing flight in a terrestrial/aquatic bird which becomes naturally flightless when moulting [almost all waterfowl, cranes and flamingos] and a bird which normally flies from A to B, such as a vulture or parrot. And yet there are still a lot of flight-restricted examles of both of these to be seen.
I believe it works by psychological confinement and they don't have sufficient space to take off due to the layout of the enclosure and surrounding foliage.
I believe it works by psychological confinement and they don't have sufficient space to take off due to the layout of the enclosure and surrounding foliage.
I was being very tongue in cheek as Hillside,cannot keep them in the staff regularly have to go and rescue Flamingos from neighbours garden or Manchester Airport,although Hillside says it wasn't their Flamingo that shut the runway.But seeing as theirs are the only Lessers in about 50 mile radius of Manchester I cannot see were else it came from.
Interesting how this aviary was so thoroughly discussed here, without even one person saying anything about the uniqueness of the species shown here… (or for that matter even relating the original subject to this…). I'm not sure whether Berlin zoo would like to risk the loss of any of their James' or Andean specimens (or risk their breeding results) due to theft, feral carnivores (such as cats or foxes), escape etc. I believe this small group is irreplaceable!
