Flamingos are large birds belonging to the family Phoenicopteridae. Four species of flamingos are distributed throughout the Americas, including the Caribbean, while two species originate from Africa, Asia, and Europe.
Characteristics of Flamingos
Flamingos are large birds easily recognized by their long necks, slender legs, and pink or reddish feathers. They embody the phrase “you are what you eat.” The pink and red color of flamingo feathers comes from the pigments found in the algae and invertebrates they consume.
Flamingos embody the phrase “you are what you eat.”
There are six species of flamingos according to the Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS):
- Greater Flamingo
- Lesser Flamingo
- Chilean Flamingo
- Andean Flamingo
- James Flamingo
- American Flamingo.
The Greater Flamingo is the tallest species, standing between 1.2 to 1.45 meters and weighing up to 3.5 kg. The smallest is the Lesser Flamingo, which stands at 80 cm and weighs 2.5 kg. The wingspan of flamingos ranges from 95 cm to 150 cm.
Where Do Flamingos Live?
- The American Flamingo resides in the West Indies, Yucatán, northern South America, and along the Galapagos Islands.
- The Chilean, Andean, and James Flamingos inhabit South America.
- Greater and Lesser Flamingos can be found in Africa.
- Greater Flamingos can also be seen in the Middle East and India.
Flamingos are wading birds, which means they live in and around marshes or lakes. These bodies of water can be saline or alkaline. Flamingos are generally non-migratory, but changes in climate or water levels in their breeding areas may force them to relocate.
What Do Flamingos Eat?
Flamingos eat larvae, small insects, green and red algae, and mollusks.
Flamingos consume larvae, small insects, green and red algae, mollusks, crustaceans, and small fish. Their ability to eat both plant and animal matter makes them omnivorous.
The pink coloration of flamingos is due to the beta-carotene contained in the algae they eat, which is an organic compound with orange-red pigments. (Beta-carotene is also found in many plants, particularly in tomatoes, spinach, pumpkins, sweet potatoes, and, of course, carrots). The mollusks and crustaceans that flamingos consume contain similar carotenoids.
The levels of carotenoids (organic pigments) in their food vary in different regions of the world, which is why American Flamingos often appear bright red and orange, while the Lesser Flamingos of drought-affected Lake Nakuru in central Kenya are paler pink.
If a flamingo stops eating carotenoid-rich food, its new feathers will begin to grow in much lighter colors, and its red feathers will eventually shed. The molted feathers lose their pink hue.
What a flamingo eats depends on the type of beak it has. Lesser Flamingos, such as the James and Andean species, possess what is known as a short beak, primarily feeding on algae. The Greater, Chilean, and American Flamingos have slightly shorter beaks, allowing them to eat insects, invertebrates, and small fish.
To feed, flamingos stir up the bottom of the lake with their feet and lower their beaks into the mud and water to search for food.
Behavior
Groups of flamingos are referred to as flocks. Flamingo flocks work together to protect each other from predators and care for their young.
Flamingos are believed to be monogamous. Once mated, they will stay with that partner. A group of flamingos will breed at the same time so that all the chicks hatch simultaneously. Pairs will nest on mud mounds, and females will lay one egg at a time.
Each egg is slightly larger than a large chicken egg, measuring between 78 to 90 mm and weighing 115 to 140 grams. The eggs take about 27 to 31 days to hatch, and the newly hatched chicks weigh only 73 to 90 g.
Flamingo chicks are gray or white. They will turn pink over the first few years of their lives. Flamingos live for 20 to 30 years in the wild or up to 50 years in captivity.
Flamingo chicks are gray or white.
Conservation Status
According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species, currently, no flamingo species is considered endangered. The Chilean and James Flamingos are regarded as near threatened due to their small and declining populations, according to IUCN reports.
Other Interesting Facts
Fossil evidence indicates that flamingo groups evolved a long time ago, existing around 30 million years ago.
It is unknown why flamingos often stand on one leg, but it has been hypothesized that keeping one leg out of the cold water helps them maintain body heat. It also seems to be a comfortable resting position for them.
Although flamingos are believed to be tropical birds, they can also live and thrive in cold environments as long as they have access to ample water and food.
In East Africa, over a million flamingos have been known to gather together, forming the largest flock on record.
Flamingos Can Detect Rain from 500 km Away
Flamingos in Africa rely on the bustling life of freshwater lakes. However, many of the lakes they depend on are ephemeral, prone to drying up almost completely.
But on the arid coast of Namibia, Greater Flamingos appear to signal when it will rain due to the Etosha Pan, which is often dry and located 500 km away. It is possible that these birds are very sensitive to minute drops in atmospheric pressure that signal impending rain.
However, no one knows if this is true, and if so, how they do it. Like the sense of magnetism, the weather sense of flamingos and other bird species remains a mystery.
Flamingos Bully Each Other
This surprising behavior has been observed in all six flamingo species at wetland centers, with one flamingo even seen charging at another sleeping on one leg.
Further research is needed to understand why these birds exhibit this behavior, as the puzzling actions seem to offer no immediate benefit to the bird, especially since intentional collisions expend more energy and carry the risk of injury.
