Everyone knows about the existence of these beautiful noble birds, both adults and children. But not everyone saw them live in the zoo, but in wild nature- even less. Where do flamingos live? What is their habitat? What do they eat? How do different types differ from each other? The article will answer these questions.
Classification: species, genus, family, order
Flamingo (lat. Flamma - fire) is the only surviving genus of birds of the Flamingo family, which, in turn, belongs to the order Flamingos. In addition to them, the family includes several relict genera. The Flamingo genus includes several species: it is an ordinary or pink flamingo, Andean, red, Chilean, small, and also James's flamingo.
These birds owe their name to the characteristic color of the wings, on which from above and from inside growing bright red feathers. It formed the basis of the official, scientific name of the genus - Phoenicopterus (Phoenicopterus), which was given to him by Carl Linnaeus. The scientist probably saw in the coloring of flamingos features that make them related to the mythical fiery Phoenix, burning down and reborn from the ashes.
Characteristic features, structure of birds
Flamingos have long, thin legs that allow them to roam freely in shallow water. On the toes there are membranes that allow the bird not to get stuck in the mud. The birds have a long, flexible neck that helps them bend low and search for prey in the water. But the most recognizable feature of flamingos of all kinds is their wide beak, curved down.
Flamingos can often be seen standing on one leg. They press the other at this time to reduce heat loss, since their thin long limbs have a fairly large surface. Birds get cold in windy weather. Standing on one leg does not cause them any inconvenience and is natural. It is not difficult to keep it in an unbent form of a flamingo; this position does not require any special muscular effort from them. The skin on the legs of birds is very dense. Due to this, they can live near very salty and even alkaline lakes and wander around them for several hours, looking for food.
Where pink flamingos live, the water is often unsuitable for drinking. But some planktonic organisms, such as brine shrimp, which make up the bulk of the pink flamingo's diet, live in very salty water, feel great and reproduce in it, including due to the lack of fish that simply cannot live in such reservoirs. Therefore, flamingos are very fond of such reservoirs. However, they can fly to freshwater reservoirs and springs to wash off excess salt and get drunk.
flamingo plumage
Flamingos owe their distinctive plumage color primarily to their diet. Coloring substances called lipochromes enter their body along with plankton containing the pigment canthaxanthin. When keeping birds in captivity, their diet, in addition to crustaceans, is enriched herbal products containing carotene - bell pepper, sweet carrots. Flamingo flight feathers are always black. According to scientists, this coloration is distracting and serves to mislead the predator, which, due to the black flight feathers flashing before the eyes, cannot determine the exact position of the prey.
Nutrition of adults and features of the diet of chicks
What do flamingos eat? And where does this one live? lovely bird? Its main food is small crustaceans. Birds usually settle on the banks of shallow water bodies. With the help of a beak, in which the movable is top part, and not the lower one, like all birds, flamingos scoop up water or liquid silt. The beak allows them to filter prey from water or silt. A powerful tongue makes pushing movements, water flows out through a covered beak, acting like a sieve. And only the edible part of the catch remains in the mouth - what can be swallowed. At the same time, in African flamingos (small ones), the beak is much thinner, and its possibilities as a filter are greater. Therefore, they can filter out not only small crustaceans and shrimps, but also unicellular algae.
Where flamingos live, there is a lot of food familiar to them. On the day the bird eats such an amount of food, the mass of which is about a quarter of its own weight. Their large colonies purify the mass of water daily in a natural way. So, one of the colonies of pink flamingos living in India, which includes about half a million birds, eats almost 145 tons of food every day.
In the event of a shortage of familiar food, flamingos are able to perform long flights to other water bodies - up to 50-60 kilometers.
Nursing offspring
Birds are monogamous. Nesting begins at the age of 5-6 years. The female flamingo lays 1-3 eggs at the same time, but most often there is one baby in each family. The nests of these birds have a bizarre conical shape. They are unique, no other bird family builds such. To create them, flamingos rake silt and dirt into a pile with their paws. The chicks leave the nest after a few days, and at the age of two and a half months they catch up with adults in size and begin to fly.
Interestingly, the beaks of newborn birds are straight, therefore, they cannot filter water. Parents come to the rescue, who feed the chicks for up to two months with the so-called bird's milk- a special liquid secret of red color. It is secreted by glands lining the esophagus from the inside. The composition of the secret includes fat, protein, a little plankton. The same hormone is responsible for the production of "milk" as in mammals, including humans.
A colony of its chicks brings up together, just as penguins do, and at the same time there can be several hundred babies in it.
Settlement area. flamingo
Where do flamingos live? In Russia, the pink flamingo is better known than others, it is also ordinary. This is the most common species, and also the only one that lives in the territory. former USSR- In Kazakhstan. In addition, although flamingos do not nest in our country, during seasonal migration they fly through Russia - Dagestan, the Volga region, Stavropol and Krasnodar Territory affecting even the south of Siberia. Wintering in these populations occurs in Afghanistan, Iran, and Azerbaijan.
Where do pink flamingos live in Europe? Their colonies are in southern France, southern Spain, in the south of the island of Sardinia. In Africa, this species lives in Morocco, South Tunisia, Kenya, in Asia - on the lakes of India, Afghanistan.
flamingo andean
Sexual maturity is reached at the age of 6 years. Clutch contains 1-2 eggs. Both males and females incubate the eggs. Representatives of this species are generally very difficult to distinguish by gender, although males are usually somewhat larger (2.5-3 kg, females - 2-2.5 kg). The growth of birds is 100-110 cm.
Red flamingos are kept in the Moscow Zoo along with pink ones. Representatives different types they are friendly to each other, but do not form mixed couples. They breed well in captivity and live up to 40-50 years.
Small
Where do flamingos live, in what country? This species is mainly found in Africa. He is the most numerous. These are small birds, only 80-90 cm in height. Its beak is darker than other species and has a burgundy color. A characteristic black spot at the end of the beak is also present. The horny plates on it are well developed, thanks to which the small flamingo can filter the water more thoroughly than other species.
If you do not feed the small flamingo with the usual food, in captivity, like other species, it quickly acquires White color, not counting the characteristic black tips of the feathers. These birds are good swimmers.
Instead of a conclusion
Thus, to the question of where flamingos with pink color live, the answers may be different, because different kinds these birds are painted in this color to varying degrees. An exception can be considered, perhaps, only the red flamingo because of its specific color. In general, the distribution area of this genus covers countries South America, Asia, southern Europe, caribbean, parts of the African continent.
Until recently, flamingos were classified as a stork, but scientists have come to the conclusion that flamingos should be placed in a separate order - flamingos.
2. The birds got their name from the Latin word flamenco - “fire”, which indicates their bright color.
3. Nowadays, 6 species of flamingos live on Earth: small, ordinary or pink, Caribbean or red, Chilean, James flamingo and Andean flamingo.
4. Flamingos prefer to live near salty shallow lakes, in coastal lagoons, on shallows and near estuaries.
5. Flamingos belong to one of the oldest bird families. Fossil flamingos closest to modern forms, have been dated to 30 million years ago, while fossils of more primitive species have been found that are over 50 million years old. The fossils were found in places where flamingos are no longer seen today - some areas of Europe, North America and Australia. This indicates that they had a much wider range in the past.
6. The pink flamingo is the most common type of flamingo. Common, or pink flamingos live in Africa, southern Europe and southwestern Asia. They are the largest of the flamingos. Pink flamingo reaches 1.2-1.5 meters in height and weighs up to 4 kilograms.
7. It is also the only species of flamingo that lives on the territory of the former Soviet Union in Kazakhstan (Lake Tengiz, Lake Chelkartengiz and Lake Ashchitastysor).
8. In Europe, flamingos nest in the Camargue Nature Reserve, at the mouth of the Rhone River (Southern France), as well as in Las Marismas in Southern Spain. In Africa, the bird nests on the lakes of Morocco, Southern Tunisia, Northern Mauritania, Kenya, the Cape Verde Islands, and the south of the continent. It also lives on the lakes of Southern Afghanistan (at an altitude of up to 3000 m) and North-Western India (Kach), nested in Sri Lanka not so long ago.
9. In Russia, flamingos do not nest, but are regularly observed on migrations - at the mouth of the Volga River, in Dagestan, Kalmykia, Krasnodar and Stavropol Territories. Also flies to the south of Siberia in the Altai Territory, Tyumen, Omsk, Tomsk, Novosibirsk region, Buryatia, Irkutsk region, Yakutia, Primorye, Ural. Flamingos flying through Russia winter in Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan and Iran.
10. It is estimated that an ordinary flamingo eats up to a quarter of its own weight in food per day. A colony of half a million pink flamingos in India consumes approximately 145 tons of food per day.
lesser flamingo
11. The lesser flamingo lives in Africa and the northern parts of India and is the smallest of the flamingos. The small flamingo is only a little over 0.8 meters long and weighs an average of 2.5 kilograms.
12. Pink flamingos have the palest feather colors, while Caribbean flamingos are famous for their bright pink, almost red feathers.
13. Pink or red coloring of flamingo plumage is given by lipochrome dyes, which birds receive with food.
14. Flamingos are social birds that live in groups of various sizes. They gather in flocks when they fly from place to place, and also prefer to stay in groups when they are on the ground.
15. When eating, flamingos lower their heads under water, draw in water with their beaks, sifting nutritious foods, which are eaten, and the water comes out through the beak. Tiny, hair-like filters help weed out food and release water. One study showed that a special float that supports the bird's head allows it to feed by turning its head over and keeping it on the surface of the water.
Caribbean (red) flamingo
16. Caribbean flamingos can be found in the Caribbean, northern South America, the Mexican Yucatan Peninsula and the Galapagos Islands.
17. The long legs of flamingos help them walk along the bottom, even on relatively great depth in search of food, which gives them some advantages over other birds.
18. The ancient Romans highly valued flamingo tongue as a delicacy. Flamingos also eat meat and eggs in different parts Sveta.
19. Flamingos can also be found on high mountain lakes. In addition, they are able to tolerate very large temperature fluctuations.
20. In the family way of life of flamingos, equality reigns. Here, both the male and the female are involved in the process of bearing, and then raising the chicks. Male flamingos incubate the eggs laid by the female along with their girlfriend.
Chilean flamingo
21. Chilean flamingos are found in the southwest of South America.
22. Flamingos have a massive, downward-curved beak, which has a movable Bottom part which distinguishes it from other birds.
23. Males are usually larger than females and have much more long legs.
24. Average age Flamingos are about 30 years old. In reserves and zoos, these birds live longer than in the wild.
25. Flamingos have loud and shrill cries.
Flamingo James
26. Flamingos James live only in South America: in Peru, Chile, Bolivia and Argentina.
27. These birds can fly, but in order to get off the ground, they need a short run. During the flight, they stretch their long necks and legs in one straight line.
28. In danger, flamingos take off, and it is difficult for a predator to choose a certain prey from them, especially since the flight feathers on the wings are always black, and when flying they make it difficult to focus on the prey.
29. Flamingos can float well, though not very deep. However, it is almost impossible to catch them doing this - they prefer to walk, gently swaying from side to side, rather than bathe their feathers in the water.
30. One can safely say about graceful flamingos that they go from one extreme to another. So, these unusual and beautiful birds live either in hot volcanic lakes or in icy water.
Andean flamingo
31. The Andean flamingo lives in Argentina, Chile, Peru and Bolivia.
32. Of all the flamingo species, only the Andean flamingo has yellow legs.
33. The Andean flamingo population is in decline due to loss of habitat and environmental quality.
34. Not only do flamingos eat sand and mud from the water, they also do not breathe during the meal.
35. Flamingos lay one egg at a time. Both females and males incubate it in turn. The chick that appears after 30 days is called a chick. At first, it has a gray or white color, which does not change until two years.
flamingo chick
36. In appearance, the flamingo chick is not much different from the cubs of other birds. Even his beak is the most ordinary, not curved.
37. Flamingo chicks are capricious in food. Meat, fish or insects are not suitable for them - all that other birds feed their offspring with. Yes, and they cannot extract plankton, because their beaks are straight from birth. A proud bend is planned only at the age of two weeks, but before that, and after - for two whole months - the parents feed the babies. Like pigeons, they produce a liquid secret - "bird's milk", only red. It is secreted by special glands lining the esophagus. It has a lot of fat, protein, mixed with blood and some plankton.
38. Milk is given not only by females, but also by males, but the most interesting thing is that its production is controlled by the same hormone as in all mammals, including humans.
39. There is only one chick in each flamingo family, but the birds take care of all the children living in the colony. In this they are similar to penguins: flamingos also have "kindergartens", where chicks, under the supervision of on-duty educators, spend all the time while their parents get food. In such a group there can be up to 200 chicks, but any parent quickly finds his child by voice.
40. A flock of flamingos can fly at speeds of up to 35 miles (about 56 km) per hour.
41. Flamingos create pairs during the mating season, but find other partners the next season.
42. A female and a male build a nest together. The nest is usually built from mud and has a height of about 0.3 meters. The height allows you to protect it from floods and a very heated surface of the earth.
43. The female lays only one egg per season, which is guarded by both parents. After the chick has hatched, both parents are also responsible for it and feed it.
44. Hatched chicks have gray feathers, a pink beak and legs. They do not acquire the characteristic pink feather coloration until 2 years of age.
45. Flamingos cannot be confused with any other bird due to the peculiarities of the body structure and the amazing color of the plumage. It's pretty large birds(height 120-145 cm, weight 2100-4100 g, wingspan 149-165 cm), and females are smaller than males and have shorter legs. The head of a flamingo is small, the beak is massive and in the middle part it is steeply (knee-shaped) bent down.
46. In East Africa, flamingos group in giant flocks - more than a million individuals, forming the largest flocks of birds on the planet.
47. Flamingos can handle even extreme natural conditions in which few other animal species survive. For example, they are found near very salty or alkaline lakes. This is due to the presence of a large population of crustaceans (such as brine shrimp) in highly saline water bodies, where fish do not live due to high salinity. Crustaceans are the main food of flamingos.
48. Flamingos have a habit of sleeping on one leg. They use this technique to save energy and keep warm.
49. The legs of flamingos are not covered with feathers, so they freeze in the wind, trying in turn to warm one or the other. In fact, their body is designed in such a way that the flamingo easily stands on one leg, keeps it straight, without using muscular strength.
50. Flamingos are omnivores: they eat both plants and meat. The mollusks and algae they harvest from water contain carotenes, a coloring matter that makes their feathers pink or orange.
(lat. Phoenicopterus) is a genus of long-legged birds, which is the only representative of the Flamingo order and the Flamingo family. Flamingos cannot be confused with any other bird due to the peculiarities of the structure of the body and the amazing color of the plumage. These are rather large birds (height 120-145 cm, weight 2100-4100 g, wingspan 149-165 cm), and females are smaller than males and have shorter legs. The head of a flamingo is small, the beak is massive and in the middle part it is steeply (knee-shaped) bent down. Unlike most birds, the movable part of the flamingo's beak is the bottom, not the top. Along the edges of the mandible and mandible there are small horny plates and denticles that form a filtering apparatus. The legs of a flamingo are very long, with 4 toes each, with the three front ones connected by a swimming membrane. The plumage of these birds is loose and soft. The color of the plumage of different subspecies of flamingos is from pale pink to intense red, the ends of the wings are black. The pink and red color of the plumage is due to the presence of pigments in the tissues - fat-like coloring substances of the carotenoid group. Birds get these substances from food, from different crustaceans. In captivity, after 1-2 years, the pink-red shade of the plumage usually disappears due to the monotonous diet. But if you specifically add red carotenoids contained in carrots and beets to flamingo food, the color of the birds always remains saturated. Young birds are gray-brown, they “put on” an adult outfit only in the third year of life.
The issue of classification of flamingos has been the subject of controversy among specialists for many years. flamingos have General characteristics with different groups of birds, and it remains unclear which group they are most closely related to. They are anatomically similar to storks, with behavioral characteristics more similar to waterfowl such as geese.
"Flamingo" by Murat
Until recently, flamingos were classified as Storks, but scientists have come to the conclusion that flamingos should be placed in a separate order - Flamingos (lat. Phoenicopteriformes).
"Soft Landing" by Deepak Pawar
The number of species is still debated, but most taxonomists subdivide the Flamingo family into six species:
Note
- common flamingo- lives in Africa southern Europe and southwestern Asia.
- red flamingo- Inhabits the Caribbean northern part South America, Yucatan Peninsula and Galapagos Islands.
- Chilean flamingo- found in the southwestern regions of South America.
- lesser flamingo- found in the area African continent, in the northwestern part of India and eastern regions Pakistan.
- Andean flamingo and Flamingo James- live in Chile, Peru, Bolivia and Argentina.
Flamingo Dance by Graham Richard
The largest of the species is the Common Flamingo, its growth reaches from 1.2 to 1.5 meters, weight - up to 3.5 kg. The smallest species is the Lesser Flamingo, which is 80 cm tall and weighs about 2.5 kg.
"Pink Flamingos" by PRASIT CHANSAREEKORN
Flamingos belong to one of the most ancient bird families. Fossil remains of flamingos closest to modern forms date back 30 million years ago, while fossils of more primitive species found are over 50 million years old.
"Flamingo" by Roie Galitz
The fossils were found in places where flamingos are no longer seen today - parts of Europe, North America and Australia. This indicates that they had a much wider range in the past.
"Model" by Gorazd Golob
The six species of flamingos are divided into two groups based on the size and shape of their beaks. The mandibles of the Common, Red, and Chilean flamingos have widely spaced plates, allowing them to feed on small crustaceans, molluscs, insects, plant seeds, and small fish.
"Pink" by Murat
Birds from the second group - Andean, Lesser and James flamingos are more limited in their diet due to the narrow distance between the plates of the beak. These species of flamingos are able to eat only small-sized food (in particular, algae and plankton), filtering it.
Flamingo Bathing by Even Liu
Thanks to a special diet rich in carotenes, flamingo plumage acquires pink color. All flamingos, except for northern populations, are sedentary. Flamingos wait for the rainy season to hatch their chicks. Heavy rains not only provide them with food and building material for the nest, but also protected from predators. The basis of the nutrition of the pink flamingo is the small reddish crustacean Artemia and its eggs. In addition, flamingos also feed on other crustaceans, as well as molluscs, insect larvae, and worms. Some species eat blue-green and diatoms. They search for food in shallow areas. Having gone far into the water, with their long legs, flamingos lower their heads under the water and dig with their beaks at the bottom of the reservoir. At the same time, the crown of the bird almost touches the bottom, the upper jaw is at the bottom, and the lower jaw is at the top. Flamingos drink salty and fresh water during the rain, licking the drops of water running down the plumage.
"Graceful Flamingos" by Murat
In high cone-shaped nests of shell rock, silt and mud, flamingos incubate one (rarely two or three) large egg. After two and a half months, the chicks grow up and begin to fly independently, and after three years they can acquire their own offspring. Flamingos nest in large colonies of up to 20,000 pairs (in India - up to 2,000,000 pairs). The nest is a truncated cone made of silt and gypsum. The clutch contains 1-2 eggs, which are incubated by the male and the female for 27-32 days, both parents also take care of the offspring. The chicks hatch with downy, sighted and straight beak. For two months, the parents feed them "belching", which, in addition to semi-digested food, contains secretions from the glands of the lower esophagus and pancreas. This liquid is nutritionally comparable to the milk of mammals, it is light pink in color due to the presence of carotenoids in it. The chicks leave the nest a few days after hatching and at about a month old change the first downy outfit to the second one. The chicks left for a while without parents, who have already left the nest, huddle in large (up to 200 chicks) groups and are supervised by several “duty educators” who have remained in place. Young people acquire the ability to fly on the 65th-75th day of life; at the same age, their filtering apparatus is finally formed.
"Flamingo" by Faisal AL-Shahrani
Flamingos are monogamous and form pairs at least for several years. On nesting sites, birds protect only the nest itself. In the wild, apparently, they live up to 30 years, and in captivity even longer (up to 40 years).
"Bright Beauty" by Adrian Tavano
Flamingos are sometimes called "fire birds" because some have really bright plumage. Flamingos are sometimes referred to as the "morning bird" because other species have pale pink plumage. These birds have a very long neck and legs, and, as Professor N. A. Gladkov wrote, “if we talk about relative sizes, flamingos can rightfully be considered the longest bird in the world.” There are many interesting legends about flamingos. For example, one of them tells that one day water snakes decided to take away their chicks from flamingos. But the birds did not give their chicks to the snakes. Then the snakes began to torture the birds - they began to bite their legs, gradually rising higher and higher. But the birds endured and stood motionless in the water until the chicks grew up. And the chicks, as if knowing what was happening, “tried” to grow faster. It is curious that in this legend, which, of course, has nothing to do with the color of the flamingo's legs, one real detail is noticed: flamingo chicks are born helpless, but soon, after two or three days, they become quite independent.
One of the most beautiful birds on the ground is a flamingo. This bird has a slender body, a very long and curved neck, a large head, and the beak from the middle is bent at an angle of 90 degrees. She has long, slender, thin legs with short fingers which are interconnected by membranes. The growth of this bird reaches up to 1.3 m.
Flamingo plumage is very beautiful with a delicate pink tint. But this bird does not have pink feathers from nature. She gets this color from food - small green algae. At the time of digestion, these algae turn pink. In addition to algae, flamingos feed on small aquatic animals, worms, small fish, shells, and do not disdain roots. aquatic plants.
Flamingos roam the shallow water to get their food. At the same time, it strongly arches its neck so that the beak is immersed in water. This bird makes its high nests in the water, in shallow places. In them, the bird lays eggs - usually from one to three. Adult birds and chicks easily tolerate temperature changes.
Flamingos very often take "ballet" poses. They can bend their neck in amazing ways or even tie it in a knot. When resting, the flamingo hides its head on its back or under the feathers on its shoulder, at the same time pressing one leg to the body. In this position, this bird sleeps. When danger arises, flamingos instantly take off. And the predator simply does not have time to grab it.
flamingo sleeping
Description and features of flamingos
Beauty, grace, special charm and uniqueness... These are the words that most clearly describe the unique and amazing bird living on our planet - flamingos. Thin long legs and a graceful flexible neck make this bird a real model of a beauty contest. Look at flamingo photo and you will see for yourself.
flamingo bird the only representative of his squad, which is divided into certain species. flamingo species:
Flamingo James,
common flamingo,
red flamingo,
Andean Flamingo,
small flamingo,
Chilean flamingo.
These types of birds make up the entire flamingo population. Appearance birds largely depends on the genus to which it belongs. The smallest of the flamingos is the lesser flamingo. His height is about 90 centimeters, and adult flamingo weight reaches almost 2 kilograms.
The largest of the flamingos is considered pink flamingo, it is about twice as heavy as a small flamingo, its weight reaches about 4 kilograms, and flamingo growth is about 1.3 meters. The males are usually slightly larger than the females.
Characteristic features flamingos are their long legs, especially the tarsus. The fingers, which are directed forward, are interconnected by a swimming membrane, which is quite well developed. The rear finger is small and its insertion is slightly higher than the rest of the fingers.
It has been observed that birds very often stand on one leg, the reason for this behavior, according to scientists, is in thermoregulation. Birds stand for hours cold water, in order to reduce heat loss at least a little, they raise one paw up so that there is no contact with water and heat exchange.
Flamingos have a massive large beak, which is bent in the middle almost at a right angle, and the top of the beak looks down. Flamingos have special horny plates that form a kind of filter so that birds can excrete food from the water.
The structure of the body and muscles are very similar to the structure of the stork. The graceful long neck has 19 vertebrae, the last of which is part of the back of the bone. Pneumaticity of the skeleton as a whole is quite well developed.
flamingo color may vary from white to red. A special pigment, astaxanthin, is responsible for the coloring of plumage in flamingos, which is somewhat similar to the red pigment of crustaceans. The color of young flamingo birds is usually brown, but after molting it becomes the same as in adults. Flamingo feathers are quite loose. An interesting fact is that during molting, the primary flight feathers, of which flamingos have 12 pieces, fall out simultaneously and the bird loses its ability to fly for up to 20 days.
The type of flight in flamingos is quite active, the birds often flap their relatively short wings. When flying, flamingos extend their long neck forward, they also keep their long legs extended during the entire flight. Until the moment of separation from the ground, flamingos make a long run at the start, and then rise into the air.
The nature and lifestyle of flamingos
The habitat of flamingos is quite wide. These delightful birds live in the east and west of Africa, in India, as well as in areas of Asia Minor. Europe is also the habitat of flamingos. The south of Spain, Sardinia and France are the usual residence of these birds. South and Central America, Florida are also attractive for bird life.
Flamingos settle on the shores of lagoons and small reservoirs. They choose coasts with great length, as they live in colonies. In one flock there can be up to hundreds of thousands of individuals. Flamingos tolerate both low and high temperatures, so they can even settle on the shore of a mountain lake. Reservoirs are always chosen by birds with salt water, in which there are no fish, but many crustaceans live. To wash off the salt and quench their thirst, they fly to reservoirs or fresh water sources.
Currently, the number of flamingos is drastically reduced. Active economic activity often leads to the fact that in some areas flamingos simply cannot settle. Sometimes, due to human activity, water bodies become shallow or completely dry up, and birds remain without a place to live.
The concentration of harmful substances in the water in many areas has increased significantly, and this leads to the fact that flamingos are forced to look for new places to live. And, of course, poaching, it is this type of activity that brings considerable losses. Flamingos are listed in the Red Books of many countries, they are under the protection of the law.
Reproduction and lifespan of flamingos
Flamingos are pair birds. They choose one partner for life. For flamingo offspring are building unusual nests. The nest is built exclusively by the male. The nest is a cut-top column approximately 60 centimeters high and about 50 centimeters in diameter.
The basis material for building nestlings is silt, mud and small shells. The nest is specially built so high, since the water level should not exceed it so that the offspring do not suffer.
The female lays one to three eggs, they are quite large and white. The eggs are incubated for a month, this is the responsibility of both parents. Birds sit on eggs with their legs tucked in, and in order to rise, they first rest on their beak, and only then straighten up.
After the chicks are born, they are fed with special bird's milk, which is a mixture of esophageal juice and semi-digested food. This food is very nutritious, so it is quite enough for the full development of offspring.
Already a few days after birth, the chicks are strong enough, they can leave the nest and roam nearby. The ability to fly is manifested after 65 days of life. By this time, they can already fully eat on their own.
At this time, the chicks are adult, but differ in plumage color. Sexual maturity occurs after the third year of life, at the same age the bird acquires a full plumage adult bird. The life span of a flamingo is about 40 years, but it often happens that a bird does not live such a long life, but dies earlier for various reasons.
Flamingo food
Flamingos live on the banks of water bodies, so they are forced to get their food right there. Basically, flamingos feed themselves in shallow water. Due to the special structure of their beak, birds filter water and get their own food. Above the beak, these special birds have what looks like a float, which is why they can long time keep your head in the top layer of water.
The flamingo draws water into its mouth, closes it, after which filtration occurs, as a result, all the plankton that has come across is food for the bird. Flamingo eats a large number of crustaceans, mollusks and algae. In addition, flamingos also eat various larvae and worms.
It is also surprising that flamingo food They carry out around the clock, that is, they get their own food both during daylight hours and at night. Especially during the feeding of chicks, flamingos need complete and high-quality nutrition so as not to weaken and lose all their strength.
