The chick breaks through the shell using a growth on its bill called an egg tooth. The egg tooth is not a true tooth and falls off soon after hatching. Adults appear anxious while their chick is hatching. Parent birds stand, look at the egg, and vocalize. The shell becomes thin and brittle after a few hours.
Adults sit on the egg to break the brittle shell.
The adult stands, looks down, and gently preens and nibbles at the emerging chick. E. Chick at hatching. Newly-hatched chicks have gray or white down feathers, a straight red bill, and plump, swollen red or pink legs. The leg swelling decreases approximately 48 hours after hatching, and the red bill and legs turn black in seven to ten days. After hatching, a flamingo chick is not very agile.