Captive Flamingo Populations and Opportunities for Research in Zoos

-Collection of data on biology of wild flamingos is constrained by the infeasibility of individually identifying all flamingos, even within 1 population, and by limitations on how closely flamingos can be approached and manipulated. Although captive flamingo colonies are much smaller than wild colonies (with some exceptions) and are restricted in movement, studies of captive flamingos that complement field studies can be of great asset in answering some questions about flamingo biology and plasticity of characteristics. Past, present, and proposed studies on captive flamingos cover a variety of disciplines, including ethology, morphology, physiology, and endocrinology. Field and zoo researchers would benefit from closer collaboration in identifying potential research contributions of captive flamingos and in conducting relevant investigations. LAS POBLACIONES DE FLAMENCOS EN CAUTIVERIOY LAS OPORTUNIDADES PARA LA INVESTIGACIN