Flamingo Facts

GENERAL FACTS

v    Flamingos belong to the order of Ciconiiformes, along with storks, herons, and ibises.

v    There are 4 different species of flamingo: the Greater, or Caribbean Flamingo, the Chilean Flamingo, the Andean Flamingo, and the smallest species, the Lesser Flamingo. (Floozie won't tell me which kind she is!)

v    Fossil evidence indicates that flamingos existed 30 million years ago, pre-existing many other avian orders. Fossilized flamingo footprints, estimated to be seven million years old, have been found in the Andes Mountains.

v    When flamingos stand on one leg they curl the other leg under their body to keep it warm and conserve body heat.

v    Ever wonder why a flamingo can twist its neck into all those shapes? It's because they have 19 vertebrae in their neck. That's a whole lot more than we have!

v    There is no evidence that flamingos dive, but if the water is over their heads, they will swim at the surface while feeding.

v    Many of the lakes where flamingos reside have high concentrations of salt, so flamingos are capable of drinking water from very hot, almost boiling fresh water geysers!

v    Flamingos have a gland in their nose to excrete the excess salt from their bodies.

v    Flamingos have a poor sense of smell and taste. That must be why they are able to live in mucky places and eat the slime off the bottom! Of course we know that FLOOZIE has excellent taste, as she picks such wonderful fabrics for us.

FLYING

v    Flamingos are generally non-migratory birds. Changes in local climate conditions, such as drought or flood may cause them to relocate. They will generally return to their native colony to breed.

v    Migrating flamingos travel mainly at night or at high altitudes to avoid possible predation by eagles.

v    Flamingo flight speed can reach up to 37mph!

v    A female flamingo's wingspan is about 5 feet; and in males is slightly more.

v    All flamingos have 12 black flight feathers in each wing.

v    Flamingos are very gregarious birds and can be found in groups of several thousand, called a "pat".

FEEDING

v    A flamingo's pink or reddish feather color comes from its diet, which is high in alpha and beta-carotene. People eat beta-carotene when they eat carrots. (Hmmm, I once wrote a short story about a rabbit that ate too many carrots and turned orange and, well, never mind.)

v    A flamingo diet consists of 2 - 9 ounces of algae, mollusks, crustaceans, and insects per day. They pump water through their beaks at rate of 5 - 20 times per second to filter out their food. That's what I call fast food!

v    When feeding in shallow water, flamingos stamp their webbed feet to stir up food from the bottom. Is that the same as eating off the floor?

v    Flamingos filter food out of the water and mud using their spiny, piston-like tongues and the fringed lamellae inside their beaks.

v    Even though flamingos live in such large flocks, because of their exceptionally long legs and necks, they are able to find enough food by foraging in areas that are inaccessible to other birds

COURTSHIP

v    Flamingos perform stretching & preening rituals when courtship begins.

v    Courting males often group together and run with their beaks pointed skyward and necks straight out.

v    Courting pairs of flamingos will call in unison.

v    Flamingos mate in the water. The female lowers her head & spreads her wings to accommodate the male.

v    Flamingos build nests out of mud, straw, rocks, and feathers. Nest mounds can be over a foot tall to protect the young from high water and heat.

BABIES

v    A flamingo egg measures 2.3" x 3.7".

v    Flamingo eggs hatch in 28 - 32 days.

v    It takes about 36 hours for a flamingo chick to emerge from the egg at hatching. It knows how to swim before it leaves the nest.

v    Flamingo chicks have a straight bill at hatching, but it begins to turn downward at about 14 days.

v    Young flamingos leave the nest at about 12 -14 days and herd together in large groups called crèches.

v    Flamingo chicks begin to feed themselves at about 28 to 42 days of age.
Baby flamingos first fly at 75-77 days of age.

MISCELLANOEUS FUN FACTS

v    No one knows how long flamingos live in the wild. One flamingo at the Philadelphia Zoo lived 44 years!

v    The name Flamingo comes from the Portuguese word, flamenca, meaning flame.