SeaWorld Orlando welcomes new baby flamingo, 'Fiesta'

ORLANDO, Fla. - SeaWorld Orlando is celebrating the arrival of a new addition to their family: "Fiesta," the park's first and only baby flamingo of the season.

Fiesta hatched from an egg about the size of a regular flamingo egg and is now 40 days old. She is thriving thanks to the dedicated care she receives at SeaWorld.

"She is so fluffy," said Senior Zoo Specialist Iliana Marttila, who has been with Fiesta since day one. 

Marttila helped raise two other flamingos at SeaWorld, feeding them formula every four hours as babies and watching them grow.

"The biggest challenge is honestly feeding them because you want to make sure you do it in a safe way," Marttila explained. 

Currently, Fiesta is starting to eat solid foods, with Marttila soaking pellets in water to soften them before feeding.

Fiesta is very curious and loves exploring, though she sometimes likes to nestle with her caregiver. While she is small and cuddly now, flamingos can grow to be five feet tall and weigh about five pounds when fully grown.

Each caregiver at SeaWorld gets to name their baby animal. Marttila chose the name Fiesta because the young flamingo would flap around and do a little dance, which reminded her of a party.

When Fiesta gets a little bigger and stronger, she will join the rest of the flock at SeaWorld for visitors to see.