Watch: Baby Flamingo Tries Standing On One Leg For First Time At California Zoo

SACRAMENTO, CA — We've just been informed there's hope yet for America. Our divine messenger? The Sacramento Zoo, which uploaded footage to YouTube this week of a brand-new batch of five American flamingo babies stretching their wings, testing out their squawkers, splashing around in their kiddie pool and, perhaps most adorably, attempting the famous one-legged pose that has made their species an icon for yogis and lawn decorators everywhere.

Check this little stud out:

He (or she) hasn't quite gotten down the full "bend and hold" at this early stage in be-a-good-flamingo boot camp. But, you know, baby steps.

And now for the extended cut, which — fair warning — is at times too cute to bear.

The footage is as historic as it is adorable. "The last time a flamingo egg was laid and then successfully hatched at the zoo was in 1999," Sacramento Zoo officials said Thursday.

Once the five miracle babes, all born within the past month, are done being "hand-reared behind-the-scenes by the zoo’s dedicated veterinary and animal care teams," they'll join the zoo's 36 adult American flamingos in their faux lake habitat — the oldest of which arrived way back in 1966, and is now more than 50 years old, according to zookeepers.

Until then, visitors can peep the flamingo chicks every day at 10:30 a.m. at the zoo's Dr. Murray E. Fowler Veterinary Hospital, located on site. (To get there, take the Sutterville Road exit off the 5.)

Before you go, here's a bit of background on their ancestors, courtesy of the Sacramento Zoo:

American flamingos, also known as Caribbean flamingos, are tall, large-bodied birds with long necks and small heads. The American flamingo is the brightest-colored and one of the largest of six species of flamingos and is native to South America and the Caribbean with a small population in the Galapagos. Flamingos lay their eggs on a muddy mound that the pair builds, and both parents care for the chick. Although adult flamingos are pink, the chicks hatch with white down that change to grey feathering prior to their adult coloration coming in. The birds’ pink coloration comes from pigments in the aquatic organisms that they eat.

More animal stories on Patch:

• Adorable Baby Giraffe Born At San Diego Zoo Safari Park
• Tiny, Tasty Treats Lure Giant Tortoise Out Of Tight Temecula Spot: Watch
• Swimming Rattlesnake Panics Folsom Lake Boaters

Images via the Sacramento Zoo