Loader Abbie, Rose Paul
University Centre Sparsholt, Sparsholt College Hampshire, Sparsholt, Winchester SO21 2NF, UK.
Cotswold Wildlife Park, Bradwell Grove, Burford OX18 4JP, UK.
Animals (Basel). 2023 Aug 14;13(16):2623. doi: 10.3390/ani13162623.
Flamingos are colonial species commonly kept in zoos, well known for their bright plumage and elaborate courtship displays. This project aimed to determine the differences in flock position and association preferences of juvenile Greater Flamingos () and Caribbean Flamingos () housed in the same zoological collection. Little research has been conducted on the association preferences of juvenile flamingos, especially in captive flocks, and therefore this study collected data using photographs taken throughout 2014 and 2015 to further understand association patterns. Data were collected on the age category of each juvenile flamingo observed, the age of their nearest neighbour and their position within the flock, and the location within an enclosure zone at different times of the day. The results showed that Greater Flamingo juveniles mainly associated with individuals of their own age and were most likely positioned at the periphery of their flock significantly more of the time until approximately 24 months of age. Sub-adult Greater Flamingos spent significantly more time associating with adult flamingos at the centre of the flock. In contrast, data collected on Caribbean Flamingos indicated that juveniles did not segregate themselves from the adults as distinctively. Birds aged 13-24 months were observed significantly more at the centre of the flock and had more associations with adult flamingos, in a similar manner to that observed in Greater Flamingos. Due to population management needs, juvenile Caribbean Flamingos were removed from the flock at the start of 2015 and this may have influenced the association and location preferences of the remaining young flamingos. In conclusion, these results indicated that captive juvenile flamingos were often seen away from adult birds and that sub-adult flamingos returned to the heart of their natal flock to associate significantly more with other adult individuals, potentially preparing for mate selection and breeding. Captive enclosure should therefore be spacious enough to enable young flamingos to remove themselves from adult birds so that behavioural development can be unaffected by artificially high rates of aggression.
火烈鸟是通常饲养在动物园里的群居物种，以其鲜艳的羽毛和 elaborate courtship displays 而闻名。本项目旨在确定同处一个动物园的幼年大美洲鸵（）和加勒比火烈鸟（）在群体位置和关联偏好上的差异。关于幼年火烈鸟的关联偏好，尤其是圈养群体中的偏好，此前研究甚少，因此本研究通过收集 2014 年至 2015 年期间拍摄的照片来进一步了解关联模式。收集的数据包括观察到的每只幼年火烈鸟的年龄类别、其最近邻的年龄及其在群体中的位置，以及一天中不同时间在围栏区域内的位置。结果表明，大美洲鸵幼鸟主要与同龄个体关联，并且在大约 24 个月龄之前，大部分时间最有可能显著地位于群体边缘。亚成年大美洲鸵与群体中心的成年火烈鸟相处的时间显著更多。相比之下，收集到的加勒比火烈鸟的数据表明，幼鸟与成年鸟的区分没有那么明显。观察发现，13 - 24 个月龄 的鸟类在群体中心出现的频率显著更高，并且与成年火烈鸟的关联更多，这与在大美洲鸵中观察到的情况类似。由于种群管理需要，2015 年初将幼年加勒比火烈鸟从群体中移出，这可能影响了其余幼年火烈鸟的关联和位置偏好。总之，这些结果表明，圈养的幼年火烈鸟常常远离成年鸟，而亚成年火烈鸟回到其出生群体的中心，与其他成年个体的关联显著增多，这可能是为择偶和繁殖做准备。因此，圈养围栏应该足够宽敞，以使幼年火烈鸟能够远离成年鸟，从而使行为发育不受人为高侵略率的影响。
