70-year-old flamingo lays her first-ever egg

By Faye Mayern via SWNS

A 70-year-old flamingo has laid her first egg with her 'boyfriend' who is 33 years her junior.

The bird named Gertrude lives at Pensthorpe Nature Reserve in Fakenham, Norfolk, and has stunned staff by living nearly double her life expectancy.

Flamingos tend to live for around 35 years in the wild, making her age - and egg-laying - a surprise.

Gertrude's partner is a 37-year-old flamingo, named Gil, and has broken her streak of being unlucky in love.

The egg is not fertile and viable - so it is not expected to hatch - but Pensthorpe Nature Reserve said it was still a "fantastic experience" for Gertrude.

Ben Marshall, the managing director, said: "This has still been a fantastic experience for Gertrude to display her maternal instincts, partner up, and sit on a nest along with the rest of the flock.

"Whilst Gertrude won’t have an egg to hatch this year, lots of our other Flamingos are due to hatch their Flaminglets in a few weeks.

"We know that Gertrude is very protective of the young in the flock and will make a great aunt and babysitter of the impending young."