![]() They are also very vocal and have a number of different calls. When an area no longer provides enough food, the flamingos migrate to another location at night.įlamingos are very skittish and fly away if they are disturbed. BehaviorĪmerican flamingos live in large social groups that have as many as 10,000 birds. The flamingo can live for up to 20 years in the wild. Male and female pairs usually mate for life. Chicks won't reach their full adult size for 1 ½ to 2 years and they won't have adult plumage for 2-4 years. They fold their long legs and straddle the nest.Ĭhicks are downy gray and have a straight bill when they are born. Both the male and female incubate the eggs. The female flamingo lays one or two eggs on a mound of mud that can be as much as a foot tall. Male and female flamingos court each other with a variety of display behaviors that involve head movements, wing displays, and vocalizations. Flamingos in the wild are usually more brightly colored that flamingos in captivity.Īmerican flamingos nest in large colonies. These pigments are broken down in the liver and are then then deposited into the feathers, skin, and egg yolk of the flamingo. Some of the food the flamingo eats contains carotenoid pigments. The flamingo's color is partly determined by its diet. The American flamingo uses its feet to stir up the mud, then it sucks water through its bill and filters out small shrimp, seeds, blue-green algae, microscopic organisms, and mollusks. The American flamingo lives in mudflats and shallow coastal lagoons with salt water. It is the only flamingo species found in North America. The American flamingo was once considered to be the same species as the greater flamingo ( Phoenicopterus roseus) found in Africa, Asia and parts of southern Europe, but is is now considered a separate species. The American flamingo doesn't breed in the United States. It is also occasionally seen in Florida and along the Gulf Coast as a vagrant. RangeĬentral and South America and the Caribbean. The flamingo's long neck and legs also help it to feed in deep water and its webbed feet help it stand on mud. It also has bristles on its tongue that help it filter food out of the water. The flamingo has two rows of lamallae or comb-like bristles that line the inside of its bill. The flamingo is a filter feeder and it is uniquely adapted for feeding. Males and females look alike, although the male is a little larger. It has a large hooked bill with a black tip that is curved down. It has a very long neck, long pink legs and webbed pink feet with three toes. The American flamingo has and pink feathers and black-tipped wings. The American flamingo is about 42 inches tall and has a wingspan of about five feet. ICUN Redlist - World Status: Least Concern
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