Flamingos are a species of long-legged bird that lives in groups.
The word flamingo
comes from the Spanish word 'flamengo', an early form of 'flamenco'. These words come from
the Latin word flamma, which means 'fire'. They come from the genus Phoenicopterus and the
family Phoenicopteridae. This bird is found in the western and eastern hemispheres, but is more
common in the eastern hemisphere. This bird's habitat consists of large shallow lakes, lagoons,
mangrove forests, and sandy islands.
Flamingos is one of six species of tall, pink birds with thick, downward-pointing beaks.
Flamingos have long and slender legs, long and graceful necks, wide wings, and short tails.
Based on their physique, flamingo height ranges from 90 to 150 cm. This bird is very gregarious,
so its flock numbers in the hundreds. Typically, these flocks form long, curved flight formations.
It is known that the population of small flamingos is 1.5-2.5 million individuals, making
it the largest population. Meanwhile, the second largest population is the great flamingo.
However, the number is difficult to estimate because of the wide range and migration patterns.
Flamingos build nests that look like mounds of mud along air passages. At its peak, a shallow
hole is the nesting place for female flamingos.
Then the mother and male will take turns sitting on the eggs to keep them warm. About
30 days later, new eggs hatch. Young flamingos are born with white skin and soft, downy
feathers and a straight beak. As they grow older, a flamingo's beak will curve downwards.
Newborn flamingos are cared for by their parents by being given fluids produced in their
digestive system. These flamingo chicks only leave the nest after they are around 5 days old, and
can then join other flamingo chicks in small groups.
After about 3 weeks, the adult flamingos herd the young flamingos into large groups
called crèches, where they then search for food on their own. To find food, flamingos trample the
waters below, bend down and swim underwater, then stir up organic material with their webbed
feet. Flamingo food is quite diverse, namely diatom algae, blue-green algae, and invertebrates,
such as small mollusks and crustaceans. These foods contain carotenoid pigments which produce
a pink color on the skin. When the flamingo's head pokes from side to side, food is filtered from
the muddy air by small structures, like the side ri in middle age.
Flamingos are non-migratory birds. However, changes in climate and air altitude in their
breeding areas are pushing flamingo colonies to move. Because when the water level rises, birds
will look for a more favorable place.
Flamingos can have a wingspan as small as 37 inches (94 cm) to as big as 59 inches (150
cm). Flamingos usually stand on one leg with the other tucked beneath the body. The reason for
this behaviour is not fully understood. One theory is that standing on one leg allows the birds to
conserve more body heat, given that they spend a significant amount of time wading in cold
water.
