Flamingos are highly social birds requiring large flocks for breeding success; captivity challenges their welfare through inadequate group sizes and inappropriate substrates.
Flamingos in small captive groups show breeding failure and social stress. Concrete flooring causes foot lesions and prevents the wading behaviour essential for feeding and thermoregulation. Artificial diets require careful carotenoid supplementation to maintain plumage condition — pale plumage indicates nutritional deficiency. Their highly specialised filter-feeding behaviour cannot be replicated in most captive settings. Large, well-managed colonies with appropriate water depth and substrate represent the minimum for acceptable welfare.