Flamingos Come Here to Raise Their Chicks. and Kids Come to Help

UNITED STATES

With their pink feathers aglow

in the tropical sunlight, the longnecked, long-legged birds below rest on their nests. The birds are

American ﬂamingos, and they’re

gathered at the edge of this salty lagoon to start new families. The lagoon is in a protected area causing changes to their environment. So scientists and conservation groups began working hard to help protect the birds and their home. One of these groups is called

MEXICO

Ría Lagartos

YUCATÁN PENINSULA

Flamingo

PACIFIC 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 ﬂamingos live

This is one of the most important places where American ﬂamingos gather to breed. But people had been to “Kids and Chicks” or “Kids and Critters” in Spanish, the language of Mexico. Turn the page to ﬁnd out what the group is up to.

ROUNDUP

BY ELLEN LAMBETH; PHOTOS BY CLAUDIO CONTRERAS KOOB

disturbing them there, gathering their eggs, and

Flamingos come here to raise their chicks. And kids 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).

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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 people know about these beautiful birds, the more they’ll want to protect them. And who are the biggest supporters of all? Kids!
That’s why Niños y Crías helps local schools teach their students all about the flamingos and their problems. The group also invites kids to help scientists round up each year’s batch of new chicks.

A big batch of chicks was herded into this holding pen. Now, as the sun rises, the real work is about to begin.

Here’s what happens during the round-up: Scientists, children, chicks into a temporary pen to park rangers, and adult volunteers arrive before dawn and look for the chicks in their “nursery” group. The people then herd the keep them together.
As the sun rises, the chicks 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 carefully, 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 scientists 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 measured, and then . . .
. . . it is weighed in a bag that’s hung from a scale.

where it was banded.

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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 presentations 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 Festival. Need a souvenir? How about this cute ﬂamingo bag? (left).

Mariana carefully takes a banded chick from an adult volunteer to 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 stretches its wings. Are they strong enough for ﬂight? Not yet for long-distance trips but maybe some short ones!

MOVE ’EM OUT!

After each chick is banded and checked over, a kid helps 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 normal business. Soon, the whole colony will leave the lagoon. If scientists or volunteer observers spot any of them later, they mark down when and where, adding more information

food supply.

ties such things as keeping pets

away from the nesting birds and keeping the lagoon pollution-free. They’ll even help hold a beach cleanup. And before you know it, they’ll be planning
But work isn’t done for Niños y Crías after banding day. They’ll keep helping ﬂamingos throughout the year. The group will teach the local communiabout the birds’ lives. They can discover, for example, where the birds go in search of a new

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