Naturally Pink Animals

Naturally Pink Animals – The flamingo has more to offer than its bright pink feathers. Get to know these amazing birds with 10 fun facts – some of which may surprise you!

A flamingo’s nest looks like a small volcano, with room for a large egg. Flamingos are monogamous and both parents are team players. They both help build the nest and lay eggs. Flamingo chicks emerge with grayish-white feathers, down and straight beaks. It takes several years for them to acquire their characteristic pink color and knotted bills.

Naturally Pink Animals

The Smithsonian’s National Zoo has been home to flamingos since its inception more than 130 years ago. The birdhouse owners have been raising flamingos since the early 1990s and have welcomed over 120 chicks over the years!

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Flamingos are literally what they eat. Many plants produce natural red, yellow or orange pigments called carotenoids. Carotenoids give carrots their orange color or turn ripe tomatoes red. They are also found in the microscopic algae that cuttlefish feed on. When a flamingo feeds on algae and brine shrimp, its body metabolizes the pigments and its feathers turn pink.

The term filter feeder may conjure up images of whales or oyster reefs, but flamingos are also filter feeders. They feed on algae, small seeds, small crustaceans (such as beetles), worms, and other plants and animals that live in shallow water.

When it’s time to feed, the flamingo dips its head upside down in the water and points its beak towards its feet. Then he tilts his head back and forth and uses his tongue to squeeze the water out of his mouth. The clam-like plates along the gills form a membrane that allows water to escape, trapping food inside.

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In hot climates, flamingos stay cool by standing in water. Bird owners use this natural thermoregulation to keep their flock warm even in winter. The flamingo pool is heated to 70 degrees Fahrenheit to keep the birds comfortable even when it snows.

A group of crows is called a group and a group of geese is called a gaggle. So, what is a group of flamingos called? A pity! Other collective names for flamingos are stand, colony and pat.

The zoo’s historic Bird House may be closed for renovations, but caretakers continue to care for more than 60 Caribbean flamingos (also known as American flamingos) behind the scenes. Thousands of flamingos sometimes gather in the desert! Scientists estimate that more than 200,000 Caribbean flamingos live in the wild, with populations in the Bahamas and Cuba, Mexico and the southern Caribbean – as well as a small group of about 400-500 in the Galapagos Islands.

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In addition to the Caribbean flamingos, there are lesser, greater, James’s (or Puna), Chilean and Andean flamingos. Greater flamingos are found in parts of Africa, Asia and Europe. They are the largest and longest species of flamingo.

The Chilean, Andy and James flamingos are only found in South America. Andean flamingos are among the six rarest species, with less than 40,000 birds. Lesser flamingos are found in parts of Africa and South Asia. They are the smallest and most common flamingos. There are over 2 million rare flamingos that light up the skies and beaches with their pink feathers.

Flamingo feet actually bend like human feet. What looks like a flamingo’s knee is actually its ankle. The flamingo’s knees are higher than the legs, hidden by the body and feathers. confused? Imagine a flamingo standing on tiptoes. When the leg bends, that’s where you see the hinge.

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Flamingos are usually found in freshwater or brackish water (where saltwater and freshwater are mixed). But some species of flamingos breed and raise their young

Salty water bodies called alkaline or “soda” lakes. The high concentration of carbonate salts in these lakes is so harmful that it can burn the skin, and the water is unhealthy for most animals.

Researchers are still discovering unique aspects of the flamingo’s physiology, such as the tough skin on its legs, which helps it survive such harsh waters. High salt content can still kill some flamingo chicks if salt rings form on their legs and prevent them from walking.

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A flamingo’s “milk” is produced in its beak (part of its throat) and then pumped through its mouth. It may sound strange, but flamingo farm milk is packed with protein and healthy fats. Both parents can produce milk to feed a flamingo chick until it is old enough to eat.

You may learn that flamingos gather in large groups on the ground, but they also run away. Some flamingos will migrate to breed, migrating to a new body of water as the seasons change, or to warmer, lower elevations for the winter. When flamingos travel long distances, they often travel at night.

Flamingos can stand on one leg for a long time, until they get enough sleep. But why do they do this balancing act? Research suggests that flamingos use more muscle power when standing on two legs, so standing on one leg can be less tiring.

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Scientists also believe that the one-legged position can help flamingos stay warm. Birds lose body heat through their feet. By standing on one leg and tucking the other leg under their abdomen, flamingos can limit the heat escaping from their legs and feet.

This article appeared in National Zoo News in July 2021. Looking for more flamingo fun? “Birds: The Smithsonian Coloring Book” invites bird watchers of all ages to unleash their creativity as they discover more about the bird’s world with fun facts from our experts. Flamingos are known for their long legs, long necks and party pink feathers. Now, scientists have found for the first time that birds form long-lasting, loyal friendships — and that physical characteristics may play a role in those bonds.

Permanent partnerships between flamingos include pairs that build nests and raise chicks together every year, as well as same-sex mates and groups of three to six close mates.

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Six species of flamingos live in large saline or alkaline lakes, tidal flats or shallow lakes around the world, including North and South America, Africa, Europe and Asia. Flocks of highly social birds often number in the thousands.

Research leader Paul Rose, a behavioral ecologist at the University of Exeter in the UK, wanted to see if flamingos form complex bonds within their larger groups.

From 2012 to 2016, Rose collected data on four captive groups of Caribbean, Chilean, Andean and lesser flamingos held at the Wildfowl & Wetlands Slimbridge Wetland Center in Gloucestershire. Herds, which ranged in size from 20 individuals to more than 140, are thought to resemble wild herds in structure and behavior.

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By compiling this data over a five-year period, Rose found that flamingos selectively maintain stable friendships, characterized primarily by close proximity to each other. These bonds may last for decades; Flamingos can live up to 50 years.

“The fact that they last so long,” he says, “suggests that these relationships are important for survival in the wild.”

Like humans, another highly social species, these shrews carefully avoid certain people, Rose reported. Avoidance can serve to prevent conflicts, he says: “One way to reduce stress and fighting is to avoid birds you don’t get along with.”

The Roseate Spoonbill

Understanding the birds’ social bonds can help conservationists better manage both captive and wild flamingos, four of which are declining in numbers, Rose says. (Read about Flamingo Bob, the poster bird for conservation.)

For his research, Gul photographed the herds of the wet center four times a day in the spring and summer and three times in the fall and winter. He also photographed the birds themselves in different subgroups within each flock. All birds have rings on their feet, so they are easy to identify.

A flamingo colony is a busy crowd of songbirds feeding, often fighting, sometimes crashing. If one bird gets too close to another, they all use their long necks and large beaks to attack, sometimes struggling to tell if one’s neck is longer than the other’s.

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Thus, Rose defined neck length as a measure of friendship with flamingos: birds that sat or stood “with their neck less than another bird” became friends. While the other flamingos were close but separated by neck length, Rose labeled them as belonging to different subgroups.

He found that large flocks had the most diverse and highest number of social interactions with complex social networks consisting of two-bird, three-bird, and six-bird subgroups. (Read about the wonderful background of American flamingos.)

Some of the birds were so consistent during the five-year study that Rose said he could easily predict which ones would be together.

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“There were two strongly bonded older women who did everything from courtship shows to building their nests together, and there was always a man 20 years their junior with them,” says Rose. His research appears in the June issue of the journal Behavioral Processes.

Watch Photo Ark photographer Joel Sartore meet a flock of flamingos at the Lincoln Children’s Zoo in Lincoln, Nebraska.

“It’s an interesting study and

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