![]() ![]() The flamingo is the national bird of the Bahamas. The pink to reddish color of a flamingo's feathers comes from carotenoids (the pigment that also makes carrots orange) in their diet of plankton, brine shrimp and blue-green algae.įlamingos are social birds, they live in colonies of sometimes thousands, this helps in avoiding predators, maximizing food intake, and is better for nesting.įlamingo colonies split into breeding groups of up to 50 birds, who then perform a synchronized ritual 'dance' whereby they stand together stretching their necks upwards, uttering calls while waving their heads and then flapping their wings. The flamingo is a filter-feeder, holding its curved beak upside down in the water it sucks in the muddy water and pushes the mud and silt out the side while tiny hair-like filters along the beak called lamellae sieve food from the water. Its not fully understood why they do this but it is believed to conserve body heat. Quite often flamingos will stand on one leg, with the other tucked under the body. The backward bending "knee" of a flamingo's leg is actually its ankle, the knee is out of sight further up the leg. ![]() In the wild flamingos live 20 - 30 years and sometimes over 50 years in captivity.įlamingo legs can be longer than their entire body. The Lesser flamingo is just 90 cm (3 ft) tall, weighing 2.5 kg (5.5 lbs). Similarly, they can drink water from natural geysers that. Their kidneys can filter out the salt, causing flamingoes to survive even after eating high-sodium content food. Being near salty water, their diet (fish and invertebrates) contains high salt levels. Take a look at these fun facts about flamingos What is a flamingo Well, a flamingo is a very unique-looking tropical bird that likes to wade in the water. The Greater flamingo is the largest species, at up to 1.5 m (5 ft) tall and weighing up to 3.5 kg (8 lbs). The American flamingo (Phoenicopterus ruber) is known for its osmoregulation qualities. The four species in the New World include the Chilean flamingo, found in temperate South American areas, the Andean Flamingo and James's flamingo found in the high Andes mountains in Peru, Chile, Bolivia and Argentina and the American flamingo of the Caribbean islands, Belize and Galapagos islands. The Lesser flamingo is the most numerous and lives in the Great Rift Valley of Africa through to Northwest India. The most widespread flamingo is the Greater flamingo found in areas of Africa, Southern Europe and South, Southwest Asia. Two are found in the Old World and four species live in the New World - Americas. There are six species of flamingo in the world. The word "flamingo" comes from the Spanish word "flamenco" which came from the earlier Latin word "flamma" meaning flame or fire. Flamingos are a type of wading bird that live in areas of large shallow lakes, lagoons, mangrove swamps, tidal flats, and sandy islands. ![]()
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