Flamingo
Flamingos are famous for their bright pink feathersstilt-like legsand S-shaped neck.
- Common Name:
- Greater Flamingo
- Scientific Name:
- Phoenicopterus roseus
- Type:
- Birds
- Diet:
- Omnivore
- Group Name:
- Colony
- Size:
- 36 to 50 inches; wingspan: 60 inches
- Weight:
- 8.75 pounds
When a flamingo spots potential dinner—favorite foods include shrimpsnailsand plantlike water organisms called algae—it plunges its head into the watertwists it upside downand scoops the fish using its upper beak like a shovel. They are able to "run" on waterthanks to their webbed feetto gain speed before lifting up into the sky.
Flamingos build nests that look like mounds of mud along waterways. At the top of the moundin a shallow holethe female lays one egg. The parents take turns sitting on the egg to keep it warm. After about 30 daysthe egg hatches.
Flamingo young are born whitewith softdowny feathers and a straight bill. The bill gradually curves downward as the flamingo matures. Both parents take care of the newborn flamingofeeding it a fluid produced in their digestive systems. The young leave the nest after about five days to join other young flamingos in small groupsreturning to the parents for food. The parents identify their chick by its voice. After about three weeksthe adults herd young flamingos into large groups called crèches where they start to look for food on their own.
Most flamingo species are not endangeredalthough the Andean flamingo is listed as vulnerableand the ChileanLesserand Puna flamingos are near threatened.