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A Beginners Guide to Flamingos

·        Interesting Flamingo Facts
·        Species, Distribution and Habitat
·        Displays and Mating
·        Voice
·        Nesting
·        Young Flamingos
·        Feeding & Diet
·        Predators


The word flamingo comes from the Latin word for flame (flamma). With their bright feathers and strongly hooked bills, flamingos are among the most easily recognized water birds in the world. The color of a flamingo's feathers, except for some black wing feathers, varies from bright red to pale pink. For example, flamingos of the Caribbean area have coral red feathers, and South American flamingos have pinkish white feathers. Flamingos are related to herons, storks, and spoonbills and have longer necks and legs in proportion to body size than any other kind of bird.

Interesting Flamingo Facts

Flamingos like company! In East Africa, more than one million Lesser flamingos may gather together—forming the largest flocks known among birds today. When flamingos gather, the resulting group is called a pat

Flamingos can reach up to five feet in height. They weigh about 5-7 pounds and   have a wingspan of between 55 to 65 inches. Males are larger than females, but otherwise the same in appearance.

The oldest flamingo in the wild was sighted 33 years after it was originally banded. In a zoo, the longevity record for flamingos is 44 years.

What appears to be the flamingo's knee is actually its ankle and they fold their legs so that their feet extend backwards.

Flamingos frequently stand and sleep on one leg which is their most comfortable resting position. Being able to curl the leg under the body, the flamingo keeps the foot warm and conserves body heat. However, flamingos stand on one leg in both cool and warm environments.

An adult flamingo's legs are longer than its body.

Flamingos have a very poor sense of taste and no sense of smell.

The flamingo is the national bird of the Bahamas.

The Andean flamingo is the only species with yellow legs.

The eye of the flamingo is actually larger than its brain!

The flamingo’s beak is referred to as a "Roman nose." 

All flamingos have 12 black flight feathers in each wing.

Egyptians revered the flamingo as the living embodiment of the Sun God Ra.

Flamingos can swim and their style is much the same as that of a duck or swan.  

When flamingos migrate to find new feeding and breeding areas they do so mainly at night and prefer to fly in a cloudless sky with favorable tailwinds. They can travel approximately 375 miles (600 km) in one night at about 31-37 mph (50 to 60 kph). When traveling during the day, the flamingos fly at high altitudes, possibly to avoid predation by eagles. When flying, flamingos flap their wings fairly rapidly and almost continuously and they usually travel in large loose flocks. The flamingos follow each other closely, using a variety of formations that help them take advantage of the wind patterns such as long undulating single lines or a V-formation. In order to fly, flamingos need to run a few paces to gather speed. This speed is not related to the ground but rather to the air, so they usually take off facing into the wind. In flight, flamingos are quite distinctive, with their long necks stretched out in front and the equally long legs trailing behind. Their outstretched wings showcase the pretty black and red (or pink) coloration that, with slight variations, is shared by all flamingo species.

Flamingos are very gregarious and social birds, having large, noisy nesting colonies from a few pairs to sometimes thousands or tens of thousands. They live in large colonies for safety and protection. They are also very skittish and will often take flight at sudden movement or noise. In zoos, flock sizes range from 2 to 340 flamingos, with an average of 71 birds.

Their pink or reddish color comes from the rich sources of carotenoid pigments (like the pigments of carrots) in the algae and small crustaceans that the birds eat.

Fossil flamingos, similar to present day species, have been found from 30 million years ago. Cave paintings suggest that the unusual shape, posturing and flamboyant pink and red plumage of flamingos has been arousing human interest for millennia.

Species, Distribution and Habitat

There are five species of flamingos worldwide: (1) Greater flamingo and Caribbean flamingo subspecies, (2) Lesser flamingo, (3) Andean flamingo, (4) Chilean flamingo, and (5) James' flamingo. The various species of flamingo are found in Southern Europe, Africa, India, Madagascar, Central & South America and the Caribbean West Indies. Flamingo populations remain relatively stable, despite loss of habitat due to human development.

One of the world's most beautiful birds is the Greater Flamingo which has the widest territorial distribution. This species is the largest of all flamingos reaching up to five feet in height. Its range extends from central Peru to Southern Argentina and Chile, including parts of Bolivia, Paraguay, and Southern Brazil.The Greater Flamingo is a resident species of the Galapagos Islands off the coast of Ecuador. Paler in coloration than flamingos found elsewhere, due to its diet, the Galapagos variety inhabits the brackish lagoons of tidal zones, often in colonies of two to four hundred individuals.

The rosy-red Caribbean Flamingo (also called the American Flamingo) is a sub-species of Greater and occurs chiefly in the Caribbean West Indies, Mexico and northern South America. This sub species is the most brightly colored of all flamingos. They are a scarlet pink color overall and have black primary feathers. One of the primary breeding sites of the Caribbean flamingo is the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico. A chick from the Yucatan that was banded several years ago recently turned up in Florida demonstrating that these birds do sometimes travel long distances. The Caribbean flamingo inhabits shallow coastal saltwater lagoons, saltpans and other brackish or saltwater shallows. The Caribbean flamingo is rarely seen in Florida. Flamingos don’t permanently live in the United States, millions of pink plastic lawn flamingos notwithstanding.

The Lesser Flamingo of Africa and India is both the smallest and the most numerous of the world's five flamingo species and outnumbers the combined total of all other flamingos. The Lesser flamingo has webbed feet, but unlike the Andean and James' flamingos, it has a hind toe called a "hallux". Lesser flamingoes live in brackish or salty lakes and lagoons in Southern Africa. Its primary feeding areas are the alkaline lakes of East Africa's Great Rift Valley (a 6,000-mile crack (fissure) in the earth's crust, stretching from Lebanon to Mozambique). During non-breeding periods, these lakes often hold almost the entire population, estimated to be between two and four million birds. Huge feeding flocks of up to one million birds regularly gather on lakes Bogoria and Nakuru, for one of the world's most stunning wildlife spectacles. The Lesser Flamingo is not migratory in the accepted sense but is highly nomadic, moving daily in large numbers from lake to lake within the Great Rift Valley and among the saltpans of Southern Africa. The reasons for these frequent movements are not understood. The Lesser Flamingo is herbivorous, feeding solely on Spirulina plantensis, a blue-green algae growing within a very limited range of pH: 10.4 - 10.5. They are surface feeders filtering the top inch or two of water where the spirulina is to be found with the deep-keeled bill that is specialized for very fine food particles. The upper mandible is larger than the lower, but lightweight, and acts like a float, keeping the head at just the right level to allow the bill to sieve the top three centimeters of water where the spirulina is found. They swim well and are able to forage over the complete surface of a lake (the "swim and skim" technique).

The Andean Flamingo is found in mountainous areas of Peru, Chile, Bolivia and Argentina. It inhabits salt and alkaline lakes at altitudes of between 7,500 - 15,000 feet (2,300 – 4,500 meters) above sea level. It is estimated that the population of Andean flamingos has declined by as much as 24% since the mid-1980s. In the mid-20th century the collection of eggs was widespread and thousands were collected annually, with devastating results. Habitat deterioration in the form of mining activities and falling water levels due to drought has also played a part in the decline of this species. The Andean flamingo is protected by its listing with the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) and the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS). A self-sustaining captive population of Andean flamingos exists at the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust at Slimbridge in the UK. These birds provide useful research subjects into behavioral aspects of this species. Flamingos are an emotive bird and as such can act as important flagship species for the conservation of the world’s highly delicate wetland ecosystems.

The Chilean Flamingo is the most abundant flamingo of the Americas. The Chilean flamingo is distinguished from other flamingos by its gray legs, with their bands of pink at the joints, and its pink feet. The Chilean species is smaller and paler than its relatives. It is pale pink, with bright red streaks on the back. As it’s name implies, this species is native to Chile although it is also found in southern Peru, Bolivia, Uruguay, Paraguay, Argentina and southern Brazil, and stragglers have been reported on the Falkland Islands. This is the most numerous and widespread flamingo in South America. It occurs in flocks that may range in numbers from a few individuals to tens of thousands. The flamingos inhabit salt or alkaline lakes and brackish lagoons that usually lack vegetation along the Andes, up to a height of 15,000 feet (4,500 meters). Some move to coastal areas in winter, where they may utilize lagoons, mangrove swamps, tidal flats, and sandy islands in the inter-tidal zone. The Chilean flamingo is scarce or absent in lakes with fish and is usually present in large numbers where there are no fish to compete for food. There are thought to be no more than 200,000 Chilean flamingos left in the wild and the species is officially protected in its native countries. However, its habitat is being reduced and degraded by the drainage of land for agricultural use, the loss of water to crop irrigation and pollution caused by agrochemical run-off. In addition, the introduction of fish to some lakes may also seriously affect the distribution of the Chilean flamingo, as well as the Greater flamingo, since they feed primarily on invertebrates. Other flamingo species are not affected because of different food sources. Disturbance from human activity around breeding sites can lead to parents abandoning their nests.

The James’ or Puna flamingo was once feared to be extinct but was rediscovered in 1957. James' flamingos only exist in very small numbers in limited areas of South America. the breeding grounds of the latter species were not known until 1957. The James’ flamingos, can be found year-round among the world's highest volcanoes, crowding into open water near hot springs in winter, when nighttime temperatures drop to minus 20 degrees F.

Displays and Mating

During courtship, both sexes participate in many elaborate and ritualized courtship displays such as marching, head bobbing, head flagging, neck twisting  and wing saluting. These displays occur months before and after actual nesting.These communal displays serve to synchronize hormonal cycling for breeding.   

The courtship display is characterized by group "marches". The displaying birds (usually a group of 5 or 10) hold the head and neck erect (the "alert" posture), call to one another, and move heads from side to side in a horizontal arc (the "head-flagging" display). This increases in tempo over several minutes. Others join the head-flagging group until twenty-five to fifty birds are displaying together. Often this is followed by "wing salutes” or marching displays where the flock rushes headlong for about fifty feet, does an about-face, then dashes back to the starting point. The display may be repeated five or six times.  During these displays, many birds pair up. Pairs stand with necks fully stretched, beaks touching. Then they circle slowly, pivoting around the touching beaks, sparring and intertwining necks.

Eyesight plays an important role is group activities. The flamingo’s pink color is very important for stimulating reproduction. Flamingos use various techniques of flashing the black feathers on their wings to communicate with each other. Hearing is also important and heavily relied upon for communication between adults and between chicks and their parents.

Head-flagging— Stretching the neck with head up high and rhythmically turning the head from side to side.

Wing salute— Showing off the contrasting colors with the tail cocked and the neck outstretched.

Twist-preen— The bird twists its neck back and appears to preen its feathers with its bill quickly.

Marching— The large, tightly packed flock walks together as one, before switching direction abruptly. There is often a humorous jockeying for position, one male trying to cut another off, another preening for a female who pretends not to notice.

Flamingos begin to breed when they reach sexual maturity at about 3 years of age.  Breeding can occur in any season but usually occurs during the months of March through mid-July. However flamingos may breed twice in a year. Breeding and nest building may depend on rainfall and its effect on food supply. American flamingos perform structured preening when courtship begins.  Birds interested in each other will call to one another in unison. Male and female bonding is very strong during breeding season. Flamingos form long-term pair bonds and are monogamous for the most part but may mate with more than one partner. During mating, the male tucks his legs under the female’s wings.

Breeding colonies of a few individuals is rare. They need a minimum flock size of 15-20 birds for breeding to take place. Several species of flamingos have been bred successfully in captivity.

Voice

Flamingos generally are very noisy birds. Variations exist in the voices of different species of flamingos. The flamingo’s voice is loud and rather goose-like. Flamingo vocalizations range from gooselike calls, gabbling, nasal honking, grunting and growling. Specific calls can be associated with certain behaviors. Vocalizations are used in parents chick recognition, ritualized breeding displays and play an important part in keeping the flock together when flying.

Nesting

A flamingo nest is not fancy, just a cone of mud, stones, straw and feathers 1 to 2 ft (30-61 cm) high and about 1 ft (30 cm) across with a depression on top.  The nest needs to be high enough to protect the egg from flooding and from the occasional intense heat at ground level. Both the male and female build the nest by drawing mud toward their feet with their bills. Flamingos are very social when assembled in nesting areas, and nests are usually built two nest-lengths apart and defended with various threat postures. Flamingos will abandon nests because of low flying aircraft, threats from predators and because of low water levels.

Both female and male take turns incubating the one or two eggs layed in the depression. The egg is elongate, chalky white and the yolk is blood red. A two egg clutch is rare. During incubation, flamingos straddle the nest, sitting astride the nest with their long legs folded flat on either side of it. It takes between 27-31 days for the egg to hatch. Both parents participate in chick rearing.

At hatching the youngster is covered with white down which turns gray in approximately 3 weeks."

The chick is fed a bright red secretion formed by glands in the upper digestive tract that is rich in blood. Parents know their own young by their voice and will usually feed no others.

Young Flamingos

It can take 24–26 hours from the first pecks until a flamingo chick completely emerges from the egg. Fluffy, with grayish white down feathers when first born, flamingo chicks are like the proverbial ugly duckling. The chicks have straight pink bills and short, thick grey legs, both of which turn black within a week. Their straight beaks become curved as they mature. Young birds are mostly grey and do not start to develop their characteristic pink color until after the first year. Their feathers retain some of the light gray coloration until they turn a pink hue later in their maturity. Flamingos will not display or breed until they get their full pink coloration at about two to three years of age.

After hatching, the chick stays in the nest for 5 to 12 days. During this time, the chick is fed a type of milk called “crop milk” that is produced in glands lining the whole of the parent’s upper digestive tract. The adult dribbles this fluid from its mouth into the youngster's bill. It is not regurgitated food. The milk also contains red and white blood cells and has a very high nutritional value. This crop milk is primarily fat and protein, and is initially a dark red color. (Flamingos share this feeding trait with pigeons.) Both males and females can feed the chick this way, and even flamingos that are not the parents can act as foster-feeders. The begging calls the hungry chick makes are believed to stimulate the secretion of the milk. Young flamingos feed on this milk for about two months until their bills are developed enough to filter feed. At 7-10 days, the chick shows the beginning of typical feeding movement in the water and can feed themselves in about 60 days.

Young flamingos leave the nest after five to ten days and join a group of other chicks, called a crèche, watched by a few adults. The young chicks will still return to the nest to feed on the parent’s crop milk. The young flamingos are quite agile and are good at running and swimming.

Feeding & Diet

The flamingo has very distinctive eating habits. Uniquely among birds, the flamingo is a filter feeder. With its bill held upside down in the water the flamingo feeds by sucking water and mud into the front of its bill and then pumping it out again at the sides with its large rough-surfaced tongue, trapping the food particles in hairy comb-like filtering structures in the bill called lamellae. The flamingo’s filter-feeding mechanism is different from that of ducks but is similar to that of the Baleen whales.

The Philadelphia Zoo has developed a diet for flamingos from carrots. At the San Diego Zoo the flamingos are fed a special diet pellet that is made for flamingos. This food has all the nutrients the flamingos need, and even a pigment that helps keep their beautiful color. And to allow the flamingos to eat in their normal way (taking in water and then pumping it back out), a water source just for feeding is near their food so they can get a beakful of water and then food—just like they would in the wild.

Long featherless legs and webbed feet let flamingos wade into deeper water than most other birds to look for food. The flamingos webbed feet help to support them on soft mud. Flamingos use their long legs to stir up the mud. They then use their beaks to strain food out of the muddy mixture. They eat diatoms, insects, seeds, blue-green algae, a few crustaceans, and mollusks.  Flamingos feed during the day and the night. Sometimes they swim to get their food, and sometimes by “upending” (tail feathers in the air, head underwater) like ducks.

Flamingos obtain their pink coloring from the food that they eat which contains carotene. Flamingos require a diet rich in crustaceans (shrimp) to give their plumage pink. Without it their feathers turn white.

Flamingos prefer to feed and breed on large shallow lakes or lagoons where there are high saline or alkaline salt concentrations. Often these include very inhospitable places. Greater and Lesser flamingos breed on Etosha Pan in South-west Africa where the water has a pH of 9.2 and is twice the salinity of sea water. They are sometimes called firebirds because many species prefer to frequent hot, volcanic, mud flats.

The smaller Puna, James, Andean, and Lesser flamingos have deeper bills and stiff lamellae. This helps them filter very fine particles, such as algae, through their bill and keep bigger particles out. Caribbean, Greater, and Chilean flamingos are larger and feed mostly on invertebrates such as brine flies, shrimps, and mollusks.

It has been observed that the flamingos' diet changes as the salinity of salt ponds and shallow lagoons decreases. With the addition of rainwater a greater diversity of creatures, including water-boatmen and copepods appear, and in turn provide a more diverse diet.

In East Africa, Lesser Flamingos eat the microscopic cyanobacteria (sometimes called a blue-green algae) Spirulina platensis almost exclusively. In the Great Rift Valley, Spirulina platensis live only in alkaline lakes - Bogoria, Nakuru, Elmenteita and Magadi in Kenya and Lake Natron in Tanzania - as well as others in Ethiopia. The flamingo, by eating blue-green algae, helps keep the algae level down in that area. They also help control the number of small crustaceans and mollusks.

The Lesser Flamingos filter this microscopic food near the surface of the water with a very specialized bill that contains up to 10,000 microscopic platelets called lamellae. The flamingos swing their bills back and forth through the water while their tongues move in and out 20 times per second like pistons, filtering up to 20 liters per day through the lamellae to net 60 g of Spirulina, their daily requirement.

Predators

Flamingos are defenseless. Their main form of protection is to fly away. Adult flamingos have few natural predators. That's because flamingos tend to live in inhospitable places where the lagoons are pretty bare of vegetation, so few other birds or animals come there. Most flamingo predators are other species of birds such as the African fish eagle. The flamingo’s greatest predator is man because it is vulnerable to habitat destruction and exploitation.

Breeding birds are sometimes forced to abandon nests, eggs and chicks as a result of drought (leading to nest islands becoming accessible to predators such as foxes) or conversely, by heavy rainfall (leading to flooding of nesting islands). Breeding flamingos are also at the mercy of unusual weather events.