Interesting Facts about Flamingos

The word flamingo comes from the Spanish word flamengo an earlier form of flamenco. These words were derived from the Latin word flamma, which means ‘a flame’. The habitat of these birds comprises large shallow lakes, lagoons, mangrove swamps, tidal flats, and sandy islands above the low tide mark. Adult flamingos range from 36 to 50 inches in height, with a wingspan of about 60 inches, and weigh an average of 8.75 lbs. However, these statistics differ in different species. The flamingo has such a distinctive appearance, that in any given locale it is likely to be the only tall, pink bird. They have long, sinuous necks, slender legs, and black-tipped bills that achieve a downward bend upon maturity.

Following are some interesting facts about flamingos:

• Flamingos are found in warm, shallow, watery regions on many continents. Their vast habitats include estuaries and saline or alkaline lakes in Africa, Asia, North America, Central America, South America, and Europe.
• These highly adaptable birds can live in hot volcanic lakes, as well as in icy lakes in the Andean mountains.
• Their beautiful color comes from the algae, diatoms, and small crustaceans that they eat, which are rich in the carotene pigment.
• Their interesting feeding technique involves stirring up the mud and water with their long legs and webbed feet. They then bury their bills, or even their entire heads, upside down in the water and suck up both mud and water. They shake their head from side to side to expel the excess mud and water, hold back and eat the plankton, tiny fish and fly larvae. When feeding, flamingos hold their breath.
• Flamingos are commonly witnessed preening, which takes up a considerable amount of time everyday. They preen using their bills to spread oil from a gland near the base of their tail through their feathers.
• Contrary to their appearance, they are surprisingly fluid swimmers. Their webbed toes helps them swim and stand in soft mud. However, they don't swim unless the water is too deep to waddle in.
• Flamingos live in groups referred to as flocks or colonies. The large numbers provide safety against predators, especially while they feed with their heads underwater. They also don't nest unless there are other flamingos around.
• Flamingos share equal responsibility in parenting. Both the male and female pile up mud to build a nest, in which the female lays one egg. After after about 30 days of incubating, which is done in turns, the egg hatches to produce a chick with gray or white plumage.
• Both parent regurgitate food which is fed to the baby, and both mother and father secrete a milk-like substance that provides their young with proper nourishment. This goes on till the baby's beaks have developed fully and they are capable of hunting for their own food.
• A flock of flamingos taking off is a truly magnificent sight. They gather speed by running prior to taking off and flap their wings almost constantly during flight. A flock can reach 31 to 37 mph.
• In recent times, changes in flamingo migration patterns have been witnessed due to environmental changes and global warming. These birds easily travel long distances and can cover over 300 miles at a stretch in a single night.

There are plenty of other interesting facts about these magnificent birds. Flamingo trivia includes that a flock is sometimes called a flamboyance of flamingos, and that they sleep on one leg!