Flamingos

Let's Learn About Flamingos

Word of the Week

Creche

In zoology, a creche is a group of offspring cared for by multiple adults. In France, the word "creche" is used to describe a daycare.


Flamingos, penguins, and lions all raise their offspring in a creche.

Fast Facts

Where do flamingos live?

Flamingos have a very large range. Four species live in North America and South America. The other two species live in Africa, Europe, and Asia.


Most flamingos live, feed, and breed near coastlines and other large bodies of water.

What do flamingos eat?

Flamingos are filter feeders.


Flamingos use the comb-like structures that line their beak to filter blue-green algae, small crustaceans (like brine shrimp), aquatic insects, and other small organisms found in shallow water.

What traits do flamingos share?

All six species of flamingos...

  • Have pink feathers caused by pigments from their diet.
  • Wade in shallow water.
  • Live in a group called a flock or flamboyance.
  • Have long legs and webbed feet.
  • Make nests out of mud.

How many flamingos are there?

There are 6 species of flamingos.


Fortunately, most flamingos are not threatened with extinction, though the Andean flamingo is listed as vulnerable. Flamingos face environmental threats such as the destruction of nesting sites and changing water levels due to dams and climate change.

Species Spotlight

Greater Flamingo

Phoenicopterus roseus

Greater flamingos are the tallest of the six species of flamingos. They stand more than 5 feet tall. They also have the largest range of any flamingo. They are found in many coastal areas of Africa, Europe, and western Asia. 


Not only are greater flamingos the tallest flamingos, but they are also the palest. Like all flamingos, greater flamingos turn pink because of carotenoids (a red-orange pigment) in their food. Flamingos are filter feeders. They eat small organisms like brine shrimp, insects, insect eggs, and algae. Compared to flamingos in other parts of the world, a greater flamingo's diet has fewer carotenoids. This is why they are so pale!


Like many birds, flamingos have a preening gland near their rump that makes oil. Because of the carotenoids in their food, their oil is pink! They spread oil across their feathers with their beak to clean themselves. They also use it to make themselves brighter during the breeding season, like putting on makeup!


Fortunately, greater flamingos are not endangered. However, they face threats like pollution, loss of nesting sites, and poisoning. Their habitats are polluted by manufacturing companies releasing toxic chemicals into the water. Flamingos then eat these chemicals when feeding. Their nesting sites disappear because of new dams and channels. Poisoning, specifically lead poisoning, occurs when lead bullets from nearby hunting areas end up in wetlands. If flamingos live in your area, you can help protect them by keeping your wetland habitats healthy. 

BRAIN BLAST

Research where each of the 6 species of flamingos live. Compare their range to how pink they are. Are species that live close to each other a similar brightness?

Conservation Corner

Diverting Water

During the breeding season, flamingos gather in large groups. They build their nests out of mud along the edge of shallow water. They need stable water levels and plenty of food where they nest. Unfortunately, their nesting sites have been changing for many years. It has become harder for them to raise healthy chicks. But, why is this happening?


As the human population continues to grow, wildlife faces more and more threats. More people means we have more needs. We need more food, water, housing, and roads. When we build new farms and cities, we take space and resources away from wildlife. For new cities and farms to be successful, they need one very important resource…


Water.


Water is needed to grow food on farms. It is needed for cows and sheep on ranches. It is needed for drinking water for people. We often change how water naturally flows to bring it to these new cities and farms. 


Imagine a river. If a new city is built along the river, we may build a dam to stop the flow of water so we can store and use it. If the city is built away from the river, we may dig a channel branching off the side so water flows to the new city. Both of these actions change the flow of the river. It changes the water levels and how organisms can move around. As we divert (change) the flow of water, we affect every organism that lives in or near the water, including flamingos. 


The best way you can help these aquatic and semi-aquatic organisms is to use less water! Take shorter showers, turn the water off when you brush your teeth, and plant native species in your garden that require less water. 

Flipping Flamingos

Flip the tiles to match each sentence to the word it is missing.

Flipping Flamingos Printable

Flamingo Challenge

Learn More!

Glossary

Adaptation

The process by which a species becomes more fit for its environment over the course of several generations. It is a result of natural selection.

Carotenoid

A natural red-orange pigment that gives plants like pumpkins and carrots and animals like flamingos and salmon their color.

Creche

A gathering of offspring cared for by multiple adults.

Crop

A pouch-like section of a bird's esophagus (throat) used to store food.

Crop Milk

A nutrient-rich substance created in the crop of some birds to feed offspring.

Filter Feeder

An animal that eats small organisms by filtering them out of water.

Gregarious

Living in a large social group.

Incubate

To sit on eggs to keep them warm until hatching.

Lamellae

A comb-like structure lining the beak of filter feeding birds like flamingos and some geese.

Pigment

The natural color of plant or animal matter.

Preening Gland

A gland located on a bird back near their tail that produces oil used to clean and water-proof feathers.

Species

A closely related group of animals with similar characteristics that are capable of reproducing (example: tigers).

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