4 fluffy flamingo chicks hatch at San Francisco Zoo

The San Francisco Zoo's flock of 41 Chilean flamingos welcomed four new chicks in the last week, marking the first successful hatchings by this flock of flamingos in nine years, the zoo announced on Thursday.

Zoo officials credit the birds' recently updated habitat for providing the flamingos with the right environment to lay eggs.

"We made some adjustments to their environment over the past several months by installing a mesh netting enclosure over the habitat," said Quinn Brown, curator of birds at the zoo, in a prepared statement. "The mesh enclosure allowed us to keep the flock outside, rather than inside their night quarters, and it made a difference in their behavior, allowing them to act more naturally.

According to Thursday's announcement, the new mesh protects the flock from wild predators and avian flu, which they could contract from wild migratory birds.

"We had no expectations of chicks this year, but wanted to see if they would behave differently since they had unlimited outdoor access," said Brown.

Zookeepers observed behavioural changes in the flock in April, and in May zoo staff began to get the flamingo habitat ready for breeding season, the press release said.

Chilean flamingos make cone-shaped nests with mud, feathers, and stones that keep their eggs safe from heat and rising tides, and zookeepers provided more nest-building materials by adding extra dirt around the flamingo enclosure.

Once the mounds were ready, coupled-up flamingo pairs laid eggs and took turns incubating them, the zoo said.

On July 11, staff watched as the first chick hatched. By the end of the week, a second chick emerged, and by Thursday, staff announced chicks three and four. The zoo said the chicks are all healthy and eating well.

"There's nothing sweeter than seeing a flamingo chick having other flamingo chicks to grow up with," said Brown.

Though these chicks were born white and fluffy, as they reach 3 to 5 years old, they will start to become pale pink, turning to the deeper pink associated with flamingos as they mature, the zoo added.