Homosexual flamingos adopt children

A pair of male flamingos received an abandoned child and became a parent after being together for six years, a British nature conservation organization said yesterday.

Carlos and Fernando were desperate for a full family, even chasing other flamingos out of their nests for eggs, at the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust (WWT) in Slimbridge near Bristol. And their incubation skills were promoted when they discovered an abandoned nest. Couples raise babies by creating milk in their throat.

"Fernando and Carlos are a gay couple who specialize in stealing eggs from the nest of other birds because they want to raise their own children," said WWT spokeswoman Jane Waghorn. "They're good at hatching eggs, so on the weekends before a nest is abandoned, it's a good idea to make them a adoptive parent."

It is not uncommon for the pink male to pair together."If there are not enough children, or those females are not attractive enough, the males are ready to pair together," Waghorn said.

MT