Two Chilean flamingo chicks have hatched at Edinburgh Zoo for the first time in two years.

The first fluffy chick peaked its beak out of its shell on August 31 and the second on September 5, with keepers at the zoo expecting more to hatch in the next couple of weeks as there are still a number of eggs on the nest.

The grey fluffy chicks weigh as little as 100g when newly hatched and are normally around the size of a tennis ball.

Some visitors to the zoo saw the hatchings, with a member from the the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland managing to capture it on camera.

Native to South America, there are currently around 30,000 Chilean flamingos but the waterbird is currently facing threats from habitat loss, egg-harvesting and hunting in the wild.

Colin Outin from the Zoo says they are delighted to welcome these flamingo chicks to Edinburgh as the last time they bred the species was in 2014.

"Chilean flamingos are listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List so these chicks will play an important role as ambassadors in the conservation of this beautiful, yet increasingly threatened, waterbird," the bird team leader says.

"RZSS Edinburgh Zoo has been home to Chilean flamingos for more than 40 years so it is wonderful to see this well-established flock grow."

Chilean flamingos normally lay one egg on a mud mound, which the zoo keepers then start to build to stimulate breeding behaviour from the flock.

The eggs normally hatch after a 27 to 30 day incubation period with both parents sharing duties during this time.

When first hatched, the chicks have a straight beak meaning they can break out of their shell and feed easily from their parents.

After a few weeks, the beak then starts to bend and they learn how to feed more independently.

The chicks will moult out of their grey feathers after a few months but it will take over two years before their plumage becomes as pink as their parents and they take on the distinctive shade flamingos are famed for.