Ward, AM; Hunt, A; Maslanka, M; Brown, C
Crop milk samples (30 mL) were collected from juvenile (6-7 wks; old) American flamingos (Phoenicopterus ruber ruber, n = 14) in the Ria Lagartos Biosphere Reserve (El Cuyo, Mexico) on the northern coast of the Yucatan Peninsula. The samples were analyzed for dry matter, crude protein, fat, minerals (calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, manganese, sodium, potassium, iron, copper, manganese, molybdenum, zinc), vitamin A, vitamin E, lutein and zeaxanthin, beta-cryptoxanthin, echinenone, canthaxanthin, and beta-carotene. In addition, morphometric measurements and blood samples were taken at the time of sample collection. This information will allow us to learn more about crop milk and avian lactation, and, most practically, to aid in flamingo hand-rearing efforts.