Measuring welfare in captive flamingos: Activity patterns and exhibit usage in zoo-housed birds

Birds do not always feature heavily in zoo-based welfare and behaviour research. Studying how individuals use the space provided to them helps inform captive care and enables objective measurement of animal welfare. The aim of this study was to determine the variables that influence how flamingos use their zoo enclosures. By observing changes in enclosure use and behaviour over a long-term period, we aimed to assess the influences of variables outside of the bird's control. Five flocks of captive flamingos (Caribbean, Chilean, Andean, greater and lesser) at WWT Slimbridge Wetland Centre were used in this research. Data were collected from Spring/Summer 2012 to Summer 2016, with a modified Spread of Participation Index being used to evaluate space use. Data on state behaviours including foraging, preening, and loafing were collected to assess time-activity budgets and to calculate population-level behavioural diversity. Climate data and visitor number were also recorded. Results show similarities between the patterns of diurnal activity of these flamingos and that published on wild birds, with higher levels of activity occurring later in the day. SPI values show that each flock had a preferred area of occupancy within their enclosure, but all flocks also showed variation in space use, suggesting that these large enclosure sizes allow individual birds choice over where to perform different behaviours. Both season and time of day influenced when flamingos were most likely to be active, as well as when they would use the widest range of enclosure areas. There was no visitor effect, based on no reduction in enclosure usage or change in activity patterns of birds when experiencing higher visitor numbers. Our results demonstrate that it is possible to measure flock-wide behaviour in large groups of birds, and that these data are useful in explaining how animals behave across years and seasons. We encourage more research into the activity patterns of captive flamingos, especially in flocks that may be reluctant to breed, to provide more information on flock-wide responses to a human-created environment.