Science Daily asks a strange question and the University of Exeter gets a strange answer. At night, when the zookeeper is asleep, what do flamingos *really* do?:
“For lots of species housed in zoological collections, we know little about what they do once their keepers go home,” said Dr Paul Rose, of the University of Exeter.
“Wild flamingos are more active at night, and we were surprised to find the same is true in captivity.
“It seems they have an in-built behaviour pattern to keep active.”
…
This study used remote trail cameras, fitted around the enclosure of a large flock of about 270 greater flamingos at WWT Slimbridge Wetland Centre.
The results showed flamingo foraging peaked in the evening, meaning this natural timing persisted despite the fact the birds were provided with a complete diet in the daytime.
Flamingos roamed most widely in their enclosure during the later evening, middle of the night and into the early morning.
Birds congregated in fewer areas of their habitat during the later morning and middle of the day — preferring to be in one specific place for resting and preening.