![]() In addition, there is a captive, breeding population of American Flamingos that has lived at the Hialeah Racetrack in northern Miami-Dade County for at least 73 years. Lesser, James' and Andean flamingos are more specialised in straining algae whereas Greater, Caribbean and Chilean flamingos are more adept at straining larger organisms such as crustaceans, larvae, molluscs and small fish. American Flamingos nest across the Caribbean, with sizable breeding colonies in the Bahamas, Cuba, Turks and Caicos, and the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico. The American Flamingo, Phoenicopterus ruber, is a charismatic bird distributed throughout the Caribbean, North and South America.Its wide distribution, the complexity of international monitoring due to its capacity for long-distance flying, and a focus mostly on local populations, make it difficult to understand the dynamics between sites. It’s a complex and highly adapted filtering system that can also be observed in some waterfowl such as Mallards. ![]() This upside-down stance allows flamingos to accurately scoop water in their high capacity upper bills and pump the water through hair-like lamellae which effectively strain even very small creatures like algae and diatoms. Their lower bill is actually much stronger than their upper bill and can move independently, enabling the flamingo to rapidly pump water through its internal filtering system. ![]() Their bill is adapted for this too and has quite a pronounced downwards curve. Prior to feeding, flamingos often stomp their feet on the lake or lagoon bed to stir up mud and sediment, releasing algae and other foods in the process.įlamingos are known as filter feeders and feed with their heads upside down, facing backwards towards their bodies. Read on to discover more about the feeding habits of this quirky bird! Interestingly, their pink hues have come to affect them in other ways, too, as healthy mates are often selected based on how dark pink their plumage is, thus indicating that they have a particularly rich diet. Whilst all species of flamingos have similar diets, the quantities and type of algae they consume have a bearing on how pink they are. Once metabolised, these carotenoids dye flamingos pink. Algae is full of carotenoids - naturally occurring nutrients and pigments that are also found in colourful vegetables like carrots, peppers and tomatoes. Their diet consists mainly of algae and shrimp, and other shellfish that also consume algae. These tall wading birds have an interesting diet to match their other funky characteristics, so what do flamingos eat?įlamingos are not born pink but instead turn pink throughout their lives due to their algae-rich diet. Flamingos are actually the only bird left in their order Phoenicopteriformes - the rest are extinct. Why are some flamingos pinker than others?įlamingos are for sure one of the most bizarre-looking birds around, famed for their pink dyed plumage, long legs and unusual collective mating displays.
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