Learning that a flamingo is a bird, many are surprised. This is a very beautiful word. But when you see this bird with your own eyes, you cease to doubt that this name suits it. The word "flamingo" means "red feather". And it is right. After all, representatives of this family have red or hot pink feathers with black edging around the edges, which is visible only at the time of flight.
What does it look like?
Flamingo is a bird, a brief description of which you will find in this article. Seeing her once, you can't confuse her with any other. These birds have a long neck and legs. Moreover, the neck often gets tired, and they put their head on the body to give rest to the stiff muscles. The large beak consists of keratinized particles. It is bent in such a way that it is convenient for them to catch food from the water. A feature of the structure of the flamingo's oral apparatus is that its upper jaw is mobile, and not the lower. Flamingo is a bird thatreaches a height of 90 to 135 cm and has a wingspan of 140-165 centimeters. Males are larger than females. An unforgettable impression leaves the color of feathers. The pink flamingo is especially beautiful. A bird to which songs and poems are even dedicated. The color of her feathers depends on the food she eats. The pink color comes from carotenoids found in small crustaceans. The more the bird eats, the brighter its color will be.
How do you eat?
The structure of the flamingo is specially adapted for the lifestyle that the bird leads. Long webbed legs rake the bottom of the shallow water from which it feeds. The hard beak filters the water; for this, there are bony protrusions on its edges. Flamingo is a bird that eats very small food, and in order not to swallow a large amount of water, it is engaged in filtering, as a result of which the water collected in the beak is poured back, and the food remains. To get food, she completely lowers her head into the water. Interestingly, flamingo tongue was eaten in ancient Rome. The dish from it was considered a delicacy. But this muscular organ helps birds pump water into their mouths. What do flamingos eat? The answer is simple - everything that gets into their beak. After all, they do not have the opportunity to spit out what they do not like. Therefore, in their stomachs they find silt, small fish, small crustaceans, mollusks. Flamingo is a bird that lives in a community. But while eating, she will fiercely defend her territory.
Secret Revealed
Flamingos have otherbehavioral features. For example, they like to stand on one leg. Moreover, it is noticed that they do this mainly in the water. Scientists have calculated that the period of standing on one leg can be about one hour. Surely, you wondered why waterfowl are attracted to this pose. The thing is that this is how birds improve their thermoregulation. In simple terms, they press their paw to keep warm. It's not easy to stand in cold water for a long time. They fly with their legs extended to their full length, and in flight they make sounds similar to a goose cackle. Flamingo is a beautiful bird. A flock of these creatures, consisting of thousands of individuals, looks wonderful. But flamingos don't come together to show off.
Time to breed
In a large colony it is easier to warn each other about the appearance of a predator and find a life partner. Interestingly, in a large flock of birds breed better. Flamingos attract a female with a ritual movement. If the female is interested, she begins to repeat the movements of the male. Flamingos can be considered a model of fidelity. After all, these birds often create one pair for life and raise chicks together. During the mating season, adults gather near a source of fresh water. They begin their ritual movements, trying to show the size and beauty of plumage. Flamingos spread and stretch their wings and try to touch the beaks and wingtips of other closely standing birds. Scientists have noticed that both males and females do this. Moreover, an observer from the side will not be able todetermine the sex of the birds. After all, they have the same color. The females follow the movements of the males. If the couple liked each other, then the female begins to move away from the team, continuing to make movements that lure the male. The male will begin to sway and follow his lady of the heart to continue the race.
Own home
Flamingos can breed at any time of the year. Although they prefer to do it in early summer. During this period, the water is warmer and there are more opportunities to nest and forage. These birds build their nests out of clay. It is a hill with a depression in the middle, in which the female will lay her egg. In order to make bedding, flamingos use branches, feathers and leaves. The female lays one milky white egg. Both partners are engaged in incubation. When one of them sits on the nest, the other earns his own food. Chicks are born in 28-32 days. And although fluffy babies are born with their eyes open, they cannot feed themselves and are unable to fly. The chicks stay in the nest for 5-8 days. Babies are in contact with "children" from other nests. Parents distinguish their offspring by the sounds they make. This is provided by an interesting natural mechanism. The fact is that small birds begin to make sounds while still in the egg. Parents get used to them and recognize babies when they are born.
This is not a myth
But the chicks recognize their parents by the voice they hear at a distance of 100 meters. They approach them, having caught a special call. AtFlamingos don't feed other people's chicks. If the parents do not do this, then the baby will die of hunger. It turns out that bird's milk is not fiction. It is with this drink that flamingos feed their chicks. Moreover, it is very similar in composition to the human, and is produced thanks to the hormone prolactin. Only the chicks, of course, eat differently than the young mammals. Bird's milk is secreted from a special nutrient secret, which is found in the beak of an adult bird. It is noteworthy that it is not white, but red. Together with him, the first pigments enter the body of the chick, which color its feathers pink.
We need to save
Yes, the flamingo is a bird in the Red Book, which, unfortunately, already has an entry on its pages. In our time, there is a struggle to preserve them. From whom should these creatures be protected? In their natural habitat, they have enemies - predators, who not only prey on adults, but also destroy their eggs. And these are not only foxes, badgers, hyenas, baboons, wild boars, but also Turkish vultures, and yellow gulls. Also, the enemy of flamingos is a person. He eats the eggs and meat of these beautiful birds. He also uses feathers that have an unusual color.
Views
Flamingo is a bird, a brief description of which you found in this article. I would like to mention that in their genus there are six species that have minor differences from each other. The Andean flamingo is 120 centimeters tall and whitepink plumage with black flight wings. He has yellow paws. The red flamingo has red plumage, although it can be bright pink. The pink flamingo is the largest of its kind. His height can be 135 centimeters. His feathers are pale pink. The wings are red, with black flight feathers. The small flamingo has a small stature, only about 90 centimeters. Its feathers are light or dark pink. The shape of the beak has slight differences. The James Flamingo is almost the same size and color but has a bright yellow bill with a black tip.
Here she is, a flamingo bird. The description for children can be somewhat simplified. But they should definitely learn about one of the most beautiful birds on our planet, and why it has such a color.
