Estimating age of Greater Flamingo (Phoenicopterus roseus) chicks using sex-specific growth curve models

Abstract We used measurements of tarsus length during the development of captive Greater Flamingo chicks ( Phoenicopterus roseus ) of known age to determine growth curves and derive functions to predict age. We analysed data from 40- to 196-day-old males and from 41- to 202-day-old females. There were sex-related differences in growth, with higher growth rates in females and higher asymptotic size in male chicks. For an age range within 40–100 days, two linear functions were applied separately to males and females, and chick age was inferred from tarsus length using inverse prediction. These functions could be used in sites where Greater Flamingo chicks are measured and sexed during ringing, and may be useful in several types of studies (e.g., behavioural ecology, demography, habitat use, and physiology).