These gay flamingos are combating population decline with their newly hatched chick

In the world of adorable gay animals, penguin couples tend to get all the attention. But this summer, two gay flamingos are waddling into the spotlight just in time to welcome their newly hatched offspring to the world.

Meet Curtis and Arthur, two male Chilean flamingos residing at the Paignton Zoo in Devon. The couple were named by the zoo’s Instagram followers as a way to get viewers engaged and educated on the zoo’s breeding efforts—efforts that, it’s now safe to say, were a resounding success. After a 28-day incubation period, the couple hatched their first egg.

The only problem is no one really knows where they got that egg from…

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 “We aren’t entirely sure how this has come about, although it is a known phenomenon in Chilean flamingos, as well as other bird flocks,” Birds curator Pete Smallbones told BBC.

“The most likely scenario is that the egg was abandoned by another couple, so this pair have adopted it.”

We could have guessed as much—when are queer family members ever not picking up the parental slack for lazy straights?

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Curtis and Arthur’s hatchling, along with a few more belonging to other couples, represent Paignton Zoo’s first round of chicks since 2018. “While there are currently only a handful of chicks on the island, there are still plenty of eggs incubating,” the zoo explained on Instagram. “We are hopeful that we may see more eggs hatch over the coming days and weeks.”

Overall, the species has been declining in the wild due to egg harvesting and habitat destruction, in addition to a myriad of other factors. It was partly to combat this decline in population that the zoo introduced a new breeding initiative named Love Lagoon, after the reality series Love Island. Through this initiative, zookeepers have been documenting each couple’s journey on social media.

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In the end, the team has been “pleased at the success of this year’s breeding programme so far,” Smallbones said.

“It’s a testament to the skill and hard work put in by the bird team, and we are hopeful that we may see more eggs hatch over the coming days and weeks.”