Yesterday I wrote about the sad passing of Sphen, the gay Australian penguin, and his surviving life companion, Magic. I was so taken with the story of their romance and the family they had fostered together, and I was sure it must have been a rare event — if not actually unique — in the avian world.

And then today I was amazed to read about a similar case . . . only these two are not penguins, but a pair of beautiful pink flamingos.

Seriously.

This couple call the Paignton Zoo in southwest England their home. There is reportedly a thriving gay flamingo community there, but one pair — Arthur and Curtis — are indeed unique in that they are the first known to have adopted and hatched an abandoned egg, thus becoming proud parents of a little flaminglet. [AJ Willingham, CNN’s Good Stuff, August 24, 2024.]

And yes, that is what baby flamingos are called. They’re also sometimes called chicklets, but that just reminds me of my favorite chewing gum when I was a kid, so I’ll go with flaminglet.

Anyway, I’m sure Arthur and Curtis will make fine parents to little what’s-its-name. And their story, along with that of Sphen and Magic, has taught me something I did not know — quite probably because I never had a reason to give it any thought: and that is, that humans are not the only animal species of which some members are homosexual.

And that is an exciting discovery, because it led me to conclude that the answer to the age-old argument of “nature vs. nurture” turns out to be — at least where birds are concerned — nature. Right? You can dress your little girl penguin in a tuxedo, and your little boy flamingo in a pink tutu, and they will still turn out to be as Mother Nature — not you — intended them to be.

Which is a good thing. They’re gorgeous creatures, they’re happy, they’re living the good life, free of hang-ups or prejudices, doing no harm to anyone.

We humans could learn a lot from our feathered friends.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
8/24/24