Through the camera lens: Comparing activity in wild and captive flamingos (Phoenicopteriformes) to address differences in behaviour patterns

Flamingos (Phoenicopteriformes) are common in zoos, yet husbandry and management challenges remain, which could have implications for positive welfare. Assessing baseline natural behaviour across wild and captive contexts serves as a benchmark to determine differences in zoo environments and is a potential indicator of behavioural flexibility. However, data for flamingos over temporal and seasonal scales are scarce. This study behaviour across wild and captive populations to understand the appropriateness of enclosure design and effect of environmental variables. Wild and captive (multi-institutional) observations were conducted via freely accessible camera footage to understand whether there are differences in the performance of species-typical behaviours between wild and captive flamingos. The effect of temporal and seasonal variation, and environmental (temperature, cloud cover and UV index) and social (conspecific and heterospecific numbers) variables were also analysed to understand behavioural responses. Results suggest that, compared to the wild population, foraging and locomotory behaviours are reduced in captive birds, particularly during daylight hours, whereas inactivity and abnormal behaviours are increased. Foraging and aggression were more prevalent in spring, whilst maintenance was more prevalent in the summer. Flamingos foraged less at higher temperatures and when more conspecifics were present, whereas inactivity and aggression were positively correlated with conspecific numbers. This study demonstrates that remote camera footage is effective for conducting population-wide behavioural observations across wild and captive contexts. The findings suggest that the husbandry and management practice of captive flamingos should enhance opportunities to increase the performance of species-specific foraging behaviour. Providing birds with ecologically relevant resources, such as natural mud substrates, distributed across enclosures may increase flock-wide foraging and locomotion whilst reducing aggression. Such opportunities will help to meet the behavioural needs of flamingos and promote positive welfare outputs in human-managed environments.