A Caribbean flamingo egg has hatched for the first time in five years at a wildlife sanctuary.

The chick stays on the nest at Paradise Park, in Hayle, for the first few days, building up its strength and practicing some wobbly standing. It will then flee the nest and start to explore.

Head of softbills Becky Waite said: "The chick will start to turn grey after about a month, and then hints of pink will be starting to show after three to four months, turning a stunning pink by two-years-old.

“The pink colour comes from a pigment called carotenoid in their food. This is the very first flamingo chick to hatch on the nest and being reared by parents Edwina and Anthony.

"They are also the parents to Derek their previous chick who was hand-reared in 2019, it's lovely that Derek will have a brother or sister. It's early days but the chick looks healthy and is being well cared for by its parents."

Both Edwina and Anthony, who are 23-years-old, came to Paradise Park in 2004 having been bred at Chester Zoo two years earlier.

The first flamingo egg of the season was laid by Penelop, but sadly for her and her mate Colin, it was not fertile.

The team at the sanctuary said they may have "laid too early" but they are sure the pair "will try again in the future".

Paradise Park Wildlife Sanctuary has a flock of nine flamingos called Derek, Doris, Anthony, Alan, Colin, Richard, Edwina, Rita and Penelope. They build their nests in the shallow muddy area of their lagoon.

Flamingos form strong pair bonds, and just one egg is laid with both male and female feeding the chick on a special ‘crop milk’. They are long lived birds that can reach the age of 40 and able to breed from age six.

To follow the progress of the flamingo flock on the Park's webcam, visit: paradisepark.org.uk/events-and-news/flamingo-webcam/