Grooming the descendant by Claudio Contreras Koob, Mexico ‘This fluffy Caribbean flamingo chick is less than five days old and is being preened by one of its parents in the Ría Lagartos biosphere reserve, Yucatán, Mexico. Chicks remain in the nest for less than a week; they then wander around the colony in crèches and start to feed for themselves, although their parents still continue to feed them for several months. The flamingo colony is highly sensitive to human presence, so Claudio could only approach the colony on all fours while hiding underneath a camo throw-over.’

Photograph: Claudio Contreras Koob/Natural History Museum