Two Chilean flamingos have hatched at Woodland Park Zoo, marking the second successful breeding season for the species. The first chick hatched Oct. 3 followed by the second hatching on Oct. 9.

Both chicks are in the flamingo exhibit under the care of their parents, who feed them “crop milk,” a dark red secretion produced in their upper digestive tract. The substance is nutritionally similar to milk that is produced by mammals.

The chicks leave their nest about three to five days after hatching but remain in close proximity to their parents for feedings and brooding.

Three more eggs are expected to hatch later in the month, according to a Woodland Park Zoo press release.

Last year’s flock produced three chicks, which were hand-raised by the zoo staff before being introduced to the colony.

Flamingo chicks hatch with a whitish-gray down and can acquire extensive pink feathering that can be mixed with gray-brown contour feathers at about 1 year of age. Juveniles usually have full pink feathering by 2 to 3 years of age.

Chilean flamingos have a range that extends from an elevation of 15,420 feet in the altiplano (high mountain plateau) to lowland saline estuaries where some overwinter along the southwest Chilean coast.