Seven fluffy white Chilean flamingo chicks are on display at a zoo in southwest England for the first time since 2018 — and one is particularly notable for the way it made its entrance. Two male flamingos named Arthur and Curtis successfully hatched an egg together — a first for the Paignton Zoo. The zoo has had several all-male pairings during past breeding seasons, so the same-sex couple is not an unexpected turn of events, said Pete Smallbones, the zoo’s curator of birds.
But the zoo is not sure exactly how the couple acquired the egg. Two male flamingos named Arthur and Curtis successfully hatched an egg together at the Paignton Zoo in southwest England. “It’s likely that this egg became available — unprotected, kind of just left (in a nest) — and then they’ve taken the opportunity,” said Pete Smallbones, the zoo’s curator of birds.
“As a bird department, we’re more than aware of how it’s a known thing for , penguins and other species to have same sex pairings. So, it wasn’t a shock — I suppose it was a slight surprise, just because it wasn’t quite the expected (male and female pairing).” During breeding season, the couples usually spend more time together and follow each other around the enclosure, but a pairing is confirmed when two birds pick a nest to share, where they will take turns sitting on the mud mound with or without an egg.
This year, however, a same-sex pair had an egg to sit on. While two male birds hatching an egg together is notably rare, it has happened a handful of times at other zoos. The successful hatching between two males highlights the social birds’ innate parental instincts and flexibility, experts say.
It also underscores the need for conversation Chilean flamingos that are declining in the wild and their native home of South America, according to the zoo’s . And experts have some theories as to how and why their pairing came to be. The zoo has had several all-male pairings during past breeding seasons.
This year, however, a same-sex couple had an egg to sit on. Chilean flamingos can be finicky when it comes to breeding. In the wild, observations have shown the species to avoid breeding for up to nine years as the birds wait for weather and environmental conditions to be just right, Smallbones said.
But even at the zoo, which provides their preferred mud nests, they often don’t breed every year. One year at the Paignton Zoo, flamingo eggs laid several weeks too late had to be taken away as the chicks would likely not have thrived in the colder weather conditions, Smallbones said. concerns disrupted another prior breeding season, since the birds were removed from their enclosure as a safety precaution, he added.
Curtis and Arthur’s chick, which does not have a name yet, is almost a month old and appears to be thriving, Smallbones said. “The parents are obviously doing a great job.” The chick has been observed exploring the exhibit with another chick roughly the same age but will still return to Curtis and Arthur for food.
While the two males are the only same-sex pairing the zoo is aware of this breeding season, the zoo could potentially welcome more chicks this year as several eggs are still incubating, according to the news release. Curtis and Arthur’s chick, which does not have a name yet, is almost a month old and appears to be thriving, according to the Paignton Zoo. A number of other zoos have observed same-sex pairings among certain bird species.
There are even several egg-hatching success stories, such as in 2007 when the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust in Gloucestershire entrusted an abandoned egg to two male flamingos, and in 2018 when at Sydney’s Sea Life Aquarium also became adopted parents to a chick. “Being in a same sex pair is a relatively common occurrence in captive flamingos, because of small flock sizes,” said Paul Rose, a biologist and senior lecturer on animal behavior at the University of Exeter. “Actually hatching an egg is more unusual.
These two male flamingos were likely very keen to nest but could not attract a female partner and so the same urge to nest brought them together.” Sometimes, same-sex flamingo pairs have been observed disrupting other nests — as Chilean flamingos nest as a flock — in an attempt to obtain eggs of their own, Rose said. In the wild, Chilean flamingo flock sizes can be in the hundreds during breeding season, according to Rose.
The Paignton Zoo currently has 26 female flamingos and 25 male flamingos in the exhibit, which suggests there are enough females for the males to pair with, Smallbones said. While more research is needed to determine why same-sex bird pairings occur, it is possible that Arthur and Curtis found an egg from a male and female couple that wasn’t being cared for and jumped at the opportunity to tend to it, or they took over another couple’s nest, Smallbones said. Flamingos often have non-breeding partnerships that consist of same-sex associations, according to a study led by Rose.
The birds tend to be “very particular in who they like to spend their time with, and will actively seek out some birds in a flock and avoid others,” Rose added in an email. “I am not surprised that two male flamingos are successful in raising a chick because of their social flexibility, but I don’t believe it would have been their first choice of breeding partner.” While same-sex bird couples are recorded more in captivity than in the wild, according to Rose, a number of albatross species — types of seabirds — have more females than males in the population, and occasionally, to raise one egg, or both will lay eggs and care for them together, said Kevin McGowan, an ornithologist at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
Similar to flamingos, hatching an egg and taking care of an albatross chick requires two dedicated parents, as egg incubation takes as long — about 28 days for flamingos — and both parents need to provide food for the chick. “You can’t do it on your own. So, these birds have figured out how to make it work.
It’s in their instincts to want to take care of an egg, however the circumstances,” McGowan said. For Arthur and Curtis, the strong natural instinct to breed was likely the driver for the same-sex pairing. “There is a grand desire to have kids, and these two guys (Arthur and Curtis) figured out how to do it,” McGowan added.
Research on the occurrence of same-sex pairing in the wild could provide more information on the possible adaptive benefits of the behavior, such as if a wild flamingo lost its partner but had an egg to look after, Rose said. “This demonstrates how resourceful animals can be when they are driven to do something a specific time of the year or season.” ___ When will we see an emotional support pig on an airplane again? When pigs fly, according to the policies of major airlines ever since the Department of Transportation declassified emotional support animals as service animals.
The change, issued on Dec. 2, 2020, limited the definition of a service animal to dogs specially trained to perform a task or work for a person with a disability. This removed the requirement for airlines to permit animals aboard that were pre-registered as ESAs, holding them instead to the same policies, restrictions, and fees as other pets.
In years past, claims of emotional support horses, monkeys, and ducks seemed to undermine the legitimacy of ESAs in the eyes of the public, leading more than 20 states to enact new laws in an effort to curb passing off emotional support animals as service dogs by 2019. Airlines followed suit, leaving pet owners contemplating travel to wonder, "What now?" To analyze which major airlines are the most ESA-friendly, reviewed and compared the major airlines' policies regarding pet travel in the cabin. Major airlines are defined as those with the highest passenger-mile volume over the past year, per the Bureau of Transportation Statistics.
Despite the skepticism, ESAs are thought to be life-changing for their owners. Pet owners display lower blood pressure in high-stress situations, are less likely to be depressed, and even live longer. In a first-of-its-kind published in 2022, Dr.
Janet Hoy-Gerlach and her colleagues at the University of Toledo found that the 11 participants—all of whom dealt with serious mental health issues such as PTSD and bipolar disorder—reported improvements in their levels of anxiety, depression, and loneliness after a year with ESAs. Benefits aside, the DOT's guidelines continue to be in effect, making it challenging for ESA owners to fly. Pet parents should make travel arrangements early and confirm the space for their pets, as most only take a certain number of pet carriers on a first-come, first-served basis.
Major airlines differ in which types of pets are allowed aboard. Kennel sizes also vary, which may limit ESAs that can fly in the cabin. To help guide travel decisions, here's a breakdown of policies among major airlines.
United Airlines considers emotional support and therapy animals to be pets, offering no additional accommodations for ESAs from . The airline allows cats and dogs that can fit in a carrier that slides under a cabin seat and up to two pets per passenger at $150 each way. However, a second pet requires purchasing another seat on the flight beside yours so owners can care for both pets simultaneously.
United also does not allow pets to fly to, from, and even through , like the United Kingdom or Hawaiʻi. There are even some cases where you could bring pets to a country but not on the way back, such as a trip from Guam to Tokyo. It's important to ensure your destination allows pets so no one gets stranded.
Pets must stay in their carrier under the seat ahead of you throughout the entire flight. Unlike other airlines, United does not have breed restrictions for brachycephalic—short-nosed cats and dogs—which face during air travel. ESAs that do not meet the cabin's size restrictions are out of luck as well since United restricted its PetSafe cargo program to fliers traveling as active-duty military or with the State Department.
Delta Air Lines also considers ESAs to be pets, but the airline has a more inclusive definition of allowable pets compared to other major airlines. While it may seem redundant to put a bird on a plane, those with emotional support birds can fly with their feathered friend in the Delta cabin on domestic U.S.
flights. The airline also permits small cats and dogs. Carry-on pet fees are $95 one-way for U.
S. and Canada destinations. International destinations go up to $200, though Brazil is only $75.
However, each passenger is only allowed one pet carrier. Delta also limits which cabin or seats these carry-on pets occupy, so owners may have to say goodbye to some of their own creature comforts. No pets are allowed in cabins with flat-bed seats, international business class, international Delta One, or Delta Premium Select.
Carry-on pets must be in soft-sided kennels with a maximum size of 18" x 11" x 11" and be stowed under the seat in front of you. Pets must stay in their kennels with the door closed throughout the flight. Southwest Airlines considers ESAs to be pets, offering no additional accommodations.
The airline's pet policy permits small, vaccinated cats and dogs in the cabin if they stay in their approved carriers throughout the entire flight under the cabin seat in front of you and do not exhibit disruptive behavior. Pet fares for mainland U.S.
flights are $125 per way and no pets are allowed on international flights. Southwest considers carriers a carry-on or personal item. The maximum kennel size allowed in the cabin is 18.
5" x 13.5" x 9.5".
The airline does not offer cargo services for animals, so those exceeding the cabin's size restrictions must fly elsewhere. Emotional support rabbits can hop aboard Alaska Airlines to join their dog, cat, and household bird counterparts as pets under the airline's policies—the most flexible policy among those reviewed. However, only cats and dogs may travel to Hawaiʻi and international destinations.
Small pet fees are $100 each way. Alaska allows two pet carriers in the cabin but requires a second ticket purchase for a seat beside its owners. While the airline does require that animals stay in their carrier throughout the entire flight, they only have to be stowed under a seat during takeoff and landing.
The maximum allowable pet carrier size, if soft-sided, is 17" x 11" x 9.5". The airline also allows other rodents, reptiles, tropical fish—and indeed, even pigs—to fly, albeit in the cargo hold for $150.
They shouldn't be brachycephalic and must have a health certificate from a licensed veterinarian. American Airlines allows emotional support cats and dogs to travel as standard pets in the cabin. Pets in the cabin must stay in their carriers, with a maximum size of 18" x 11" x 11", if soft-sided, and under the seat in front throughout the entire flight.
Pets are only allowed on flights that last up to 12 hours and from . Like United, fees for carry-on pets have increased to $150 as of February 2024. American also allows one pet carrier to be considered a carry-on under its baggage fee policies as long as size, age, and destination requirements are met.
Fur babies that exceed the airline's cabin size restrictions may be able to tag along via cargo depending on the destination if they are not brachycephalic. However, the airline only accepts checked pets for active-duty U.S.
military and State Department Foreign Service personnel with official orders. Receive the latest in local entertainment news in your inbox weekly!.
