THREE new arrivals at a wildlife sanctuary are looking pretty in pink.

Three Chilean flamingo chicks have hatched at Washington Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust on Wearside - and another 11 eggs could pop open at any moment.

The chicks have already made their public debut at the centre's well-established breeding colony.

Flamingo nests are made from a pile of mud on top of which they lay a single egg. Trust staff replace the egg with a wooden dummy and take the real egg to a nursery where it is placed in an incubator as a safety precaution in case they are knocked off the top of the nest by anxious parents.

Just before they hatch, they are taken back to their parents who rear the chicks, some of which will live to 70 years old.

Animal manager Darren Grieves said: "Although this is the seventh consecutive year that our flamingos have bred here at Washington, it is still very exciting when the first chick hatches. It is great to watch the adult flamingos feeding the chicks with a liquid which they drip into the chick's mouth.

"The food is full of protein and vitamins which helps them to grow. The chicks grow quite quickly and within a couple of weeks they will be spending most of their time off the nest."