UNITED STATES With their pink feathers aglow causing changes to

in the tropical sunlight, the long- their environment. So MEXICO necked, long-legged birds below scientists and conser-

rest on their nests. The birds are vation groups began Ría YUCATÁN PENINSULA Lagartos American flamingos, and they’re working hard to help gathered at the edge of this salty protect the birds and lagoon to start new families. The their home. One of Flamingo PACIFIC lagoon is in a protected area these groups is called OCEAN SOUTH AMERICA called Ría Lagartos, located at the Niños y Crías (NEEN- top of Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula yohs EE CREE-uhs).

(see map at right). That loosely translates where American This is one of the most impor- to “Kids and Chicks” or flamingos live tant places where American “Kids and Critters” in Spanish, flamingos gather to breed. the language of Mexico. Turn But people had been the page to find out what the by Ellen Lambeth; photos by Claudio Contreras Koob disturbing them there, group is up to. U gathering their eggs, and ROUFlamingos come here to raiseN their chicks.D And kids P come to help scientists check out the chicks. You can check it all out, too!

Snug in each mud nest above is a single egg. Once all the chicks hatch and get old enough, the kids get to work (left).

6 7 This child holds a chick and keeps it calm while a scientist attaches bands to its legs. The bands are like ID bracelets (see closeup). ROUND ’EM UP! To protect the flamingos of Ría Lagartos from pollution and other problems, scientists first need to learn as much as they can about the birds. And they want the support of the local people. After all, the more peo- ple know about these beautiful A big batch of chicks was birds, the more they’ll want to herded into this holding pen. protect them. And who are the Now, as the sun rises, the real work is about to begin. biggest supporters of all? Kids! That’s why Niños y Crías helps local schools teach their students Here’s what happens during group. The people then herd the all about the flamingos and their the round-up: Scientists, children, chicks into a temporary pen to problems. The group also invites park rangers, and adult volun- keep them together. kids to help scientists round up teers arrive before dawn and look As the sun rises, the chicks each year’s batch of new chicks. for the chicks in their “nursery” are removed from the pen, one

Fuzzy chicks wade and parade under the watchful eyes of their fancy, pink parents. Soon they’ll come face to face with some human helpers.

by one. While the kids look on, the scientists quickly, but care- fully, check each chick. They weigh it, measure its wings, and put a band on each of the chick’s legs. The bands will help the sci- entists keep track of each bird as it grows up and moves from place to place. If one of these birds is found somewhere later, the small metal band will tell the finder where to send info about it. The big, colorful plastic band can be easily seen from afar—especially with spotting scopes. The letters ID the bird and tell when and Each chick gets its wing length . . . it is weighed in a bag that’s where it was banded. measured, and then . . . hung from a scale.

8 9 for the next Festival del Flamen- co, or Flamingo Festival. The festival gets everyone excited about celebrating the big pink birds. There will be a parade, games and contests for the children, and presenta- tions for families. After all that, it’ll be time to band a whole new batch of chicks! =

Jonathan (right) proudly shows off his winning drawing during the Flamingo Mariana carefully takes a banded Festival. Need a souvenir? How chick from an adult volunteer to about this cute flamingo bag? left( ). prepare for its release. Below, Ramiro says, “1—2—3, you’re free!” as he turns his banded chick loose. After the banding, the chicks go back to their wild lives. Here, one stands up tall and MOVE ’EM OUT! stretches its wings. Are they After each chick is banded strong enough for flight? Not and checked over, a kid helps yet for long-distance trips but maybe some short ones! to release it. The children learn how to hold the young birds just so and to be very gentle when handling them. Setting a banded chick free brings a big smile to each child’s face—as well as a feeling of pride. In just a couple of hours, the day’s work is done, and the birds return to their nor- mal business. Soon, the whole colony will leave the lagoon. If scientists or volunteer observ- ers spot any of them later, they food supply. ties such things as keeping pets mark down when and where, But work isn’t done for Niños away from the nesting birds adding more information y Crías after banding day. and keeping the lagoon pollu- about the birds’ lives. They can They’ll keep helping flamingos tion-free. They’ll even help hold discover, for example, where throughout the year. The group a beach cleanup. And before the birds go in search of a new will teach the local communi- you know it, they’ll be planning

10 11