Flamingo bird
Information about the Flamingo
To learn about flamingos or flamingos from carnivores, where they eat shrimp, algae and snails, live in large groups called colonies, also live in tropical climates in the regions of Africa, Asia and around South America, and can have a wingspan of up to 60 inches.
Characteristics of the Flamingo
Color: blue, white, orange, pink
The main prey: algae, fish, insects
Kingdom: Animal
Covers the body of a flamingo: feathers
Fun fact: he sleeps on only one leg
Division: pregnant women
Maximum speed: 31 mph
Distinctive feature: a long curved beak, sleeping standing on one leg
Classification: Aves, a class of vertebrates include birds
Life span: 15 – 30 years
Wing length: 100cm – 180cm (59inch – 71inch)
Order: Phoenicopteriformes, a group of waterfowl that includes flamingos and their extinct relatives, the anatomy of their foot and wing indicates that they are birds that swim only on the surface of the water, that is, do not dive into it.
Weight: 2kg – 4kg (4.4 lbs – 8.8 lbs)
Habitat: large lakes
Family: Phoenicopteridae, a family of large waterfowl with long legs that includes flamingos
Length: 100cm – 150cm (39inch – 59inch)
Predators: human, vultures, wild dogs
Genus: Phoenicopterus, includes European flamingos and some new world birds including the species (P. ruber) that extends to the southern United States.
Diet: plant and animal eater
Flamingo conservation status: less interesting
Lifestyle: herd location: Africa, Asia, Central America, Eurasia, Europe, North America, South America
Favorite food: algae
It is worth noting that the plumage of a flamingo does not turn pink until it is two or three years old.
5 facts about the Flamingo
Female Flamingo lays only one egg
Flamingos have pink plumage, due to the beta-carotene pigment found in the foods they eat
Can live from 20 to 30 years in the wild
He sometimes lives in a herd of thousands of flamingos.
His padded feet help him move across the surface of the lake
Scientific name of Flamingo / Flamingo
The scientific name of the American flamingo bird is Phoenicopterus ruber, the word Flamingo comes from the Spanish word flamenco which is a rhythmic dance, this may refer to the behavior of a flock of flamingos as they change direction in unison and move in a synchronized manner.
The other five types of Flamingo/ Flamingo include
Dwarf flamingos (scientific name: Phoeniconaias minor)
The Chilean sculptor (scientific name: Phoenicopterus chilensis))
The Greater Flamingo (Phoenicopterus roseus)
Andean flamingos (Phoenicoparrus andius)
James the Flamingo (Phoenicoparrus jamesi)
The appearance and behavior of the Flamingo
Famous for its long legs and padded feet, S-shaped neck, curved beak and pink feathers, its diet of algae and salt shrimp contains beta-carotene (an important plant pigment in the diet as it is rich in vitamin A), and the large supply of beta-carotene taken through the diet is what makes the plumage of a flamingo light pink, and uses its curved beak
The length of the Flamingo ranges from 3 to 4 feet, and can weigh up to 9 pounds, depending on the species, as the longest species is the largest Flamingo up to 4.7 feet long and the heaviest is 9 pounds, which is like putting three bottles of bowling on top of each other, and the 9-pound bird is roughly equal to the average
The largest wingspan of this bird is 60 inches, which is equal to the length of the House refrigerator! The flamingo is a pink spoon-like bird with a wingspan of 51 inches.
Colonies
When it comes to survival, the best thing a flamingo has is its colony lifestyle, it lives within colonies of 100 or even thousands of birds, where the sheer size of the colony can discourage predator attacks, and if a bird detects a predator nearby, it starts to alert and warn other birds.
Knowing that a social Flamingo can be hostile towards other individuals than it is when searching for food or competing for a mating partner during the breeding season, otherwise it is a moderately temperamental animal.
Flamingo habitat
Flamingos live in tropical climates, some in East and West, South-West Africa, others in the southern region of the coast of South America, also found in the Galapagos Islands, Turks and Caicos Islands and Bahamas as well as in India.
Specifically, its habitats include salt lakes, shallow lakes, mangrove swamps and tidal flats.
Although it is not known that this bird migrates, the colony may move if there is drought in the area or if there is a shortage of one of the sources of food, and birds living in a high-altitude lake may move to a low-altitude water table in the winter months.
Flamingo legs
The legs of the Flamingo help to survive in its habitat in Salt Lakes, shallow lakes or swamps, the long legs allow it to reach deep areas of water under its body, and this means that it has a chance to find fish that short-legged birds can not reach.
One of the most interesting facts about the flamingo is that it has padded feet, which help prevent it from drowning in the mud as it exits the lake in search of food, and its padded feet are also useful when it wants to swim in the water instead of walking in the water.
And when the colony is about to take off on a flight, it seems to run on the surface of the water, and somehow its padded feet allow it to scrape the surface of the water when it begins to fly.
Why does a flamingo stand on one foot ?
Scientists don't know the answer, but some scientists say if you put one leg under his body is a way of retaining heat, but seen this bird stand this way in warm climates, so other scientists that this is a comfortable position for the bird, no one knows for sure the real answer only the Flamingo itself.
Diet for flamingos
Flamingo is a carnivore, one of the simplest facts to remember is that it eats the most abundant food source in its habitat.
What eats Flamingo ?
Some of his predators include Eagle, mercy bird, Stork, raccoon, Jeffrey's cats, feral pigs and foxes.
While adult birds are fairly safe in their colony, their eggs and young are targeted by these predators.
What does Flamingo eat ?
He eats shrimp, snails and algae, dipping his head into the water and turning it upside down, eating small objects of food by inserting it into his upper beak.
Although most of flamingos eat 9 ounces of food a day, they only drink about 4 gallons of water, equivalent to four jugs milk capacity 1 gallon in the refrigerator filled with water!
Predators and threats of the Flamingo
Some of its predators include the Eagle, mercy Bird, and Stork, Foxes, Jeffrey's cats, raccoons, and feral pigs are other predators of this bird and can steal its eggs or young.
Flamingos in the colony monitor and defend each other's eggs and chicks, and sometimes predators do not dare to enter the colony because there are too many birds in it.
Many flamingos live in lakes and other water bodies, and are vulnerable to water pollution from nearby factories, so habitat loss due to pollution and settlement is another threat to flamingos.
The conservation status of this bird is considered less important due to its increased number.
Flamingo: reproduction, young, age
There is no specific time of year for flamingos to breed, however the breeding time is the same throughout the colony, in this way the chicks are born at the same time and are raised together, and conditions such as the level of precipitation and the amount of food available to the flamingos can affect the time of the breeding season.
When it's breeding season in the colony, swaying male flamingoes in front of the female and boast a feather, although it is believed that the Flamingo mono partner, but there are some males mate with several females.
The Flamingo builds its nest in the form of a pile of clay with a shallow hole at its top, the female lays one 5-ounce egg in the hole and the parents take turns to keep the egg warm until it hatches, the incubation period ranges from 27 to 31 days.
Flamingo bird Chick
Weighing about 3 ounces, the flamingo chick is born with soft white plumage and a straight beak, the plumage of the young Flamingo does not turn completely pink until it is about two years old, and its beak begins to bend downward at about 11 weeks old.
The Chick stays with its parents for 5 days, both parents feed it by taking food out of their stomachs into its mouth, and when it is 5 days old, it joins a small group of other chicks where it stays for three weeks, during this time when the chick is hungry the parents feed it.
But how do parents find their chick when it is with other chicks? They find it through the sound of Peep and beeping.
After this three-week period, the parents move their chick to a larger group of other small flamingos where it learns to find food on its own.
So we conclude that all birds in the colony play a role in raising the chicks of some of them.
Up flamingoes to sexual maturity at the age of 3 to 5 years, and can live from 20 to 30 years in the wild. Moreover, it can live for 50 years or more in zoos, the oldest recorded flamingo has lived for 83 years.
Avian influenza and tuberculosis (both respiratory diseases) are common diseases of flamingos .
Flamingo numbers
There are six species of flamingos and their numbers are varied, according to the Red List of endangered species IUCN:
There are 260.000 to 330.000 Mature American flamingos in the Turks and Caicos Islands.
Dwarf flamingos number 2, 220, 000 to 3, 240, 000 individuals, some of them live in West and South Africa while others live in South Asia.
The number of Flamingo Chile is 300,000 in South America
The largest Flamingo numbers 550,000 to 680,000 individuals in parts of Africa and Asia
The number of flamingos in the Andes is unclear, but it is believed that there are 11, 600 individuals in South America
The bona / James flamingo is estimated to number around 106,000 individuals in South America
Both the American flamingo and the larger Flamingo have a less important conservation status due to their increased number
The dwarf Flamingo and the Chilean flamingo are in near threatened condition with declining numbers
Flamingos in the Andes have a weak position with low numbers
Bona / James flamingo is on the verge of threat with a number described as stable
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