The Jurong Bird Park uploaded a video today (18 Aug, Friday) of a little grey bird wearing blue socks:

Its name is Squish, and it's a two-and-a-half-month-old Greater Flamingo chick who was found as a lone egg, abandoned before hatching.

(Wildlife Reserves Singapore tells us they haven't found out Squish's gender yet, heh.)

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In case you're wondering, this is what an adult Greater Flamingo looks like:

The reason they look different is these flamingos are not born pink (as you can see). In their wild diet of brine shrimp and blue-green algae, their feathers and body on the whole take on a natural pink dye called canthaxanthin.

Back to Squish — it was found by Bird Park keepers and was swiftly brought to the incubation room at the park’s Breeding and Research Centre, where it was kept snug and warm for about one month at around 37 degree Celsius, before hatching on June 7 this year.

Here it is, at five days old:

In their natural habitats where ground surfaces are softer, flamingo chicks start walking when they are about a week old. To protect its delicate foot pads from hard ground surfaces, Squish's carers fashioned a pair of soft blue booties for it to plod around in:

Look at Squish go:

Its journey of walking practice reminds us very much of the laboriousness of a Friday of drudgery —

We began by getting started, somewhat reluctantly.

But it's a Friday and there's only so much motivation we can have before we feel tired.

How can one help it? The weekend is nigh. So near, yet so far.

Ah, heck, it's Friday. Stop for a post-lunch snack or nap:

But we know that at some point we must get up and carry on:

When Squish reaches three months old, it will be introduced to the Bird Park's Greater Flamingo flock at Flamingo Lake (the Bird Park has four flamingo species, by the way — Greater, Lesser, Caribbean and Chilean), where it will be able to splash around with its older relatives.

If you see a small fellow at the Lake next time you visit, it might just be Squish — possibly sans its cute blue booties, though, sadly.

Top photo courtesy of the Wildlife Reserves Singapore

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