Flamingos

The greater flamingo, Phoenicopterus roseus, with its long neck and legs, hooked downward bill, and bright pink plumage can be found on five of the seven continents, not including Australia or Antarctica.  Only one of the six species is native to the continental U.S., the American greater flamingo, Phoenicopterus ruber, and its native range encompasses only the far southern portions of Florida.  Three additional species are found in the Caribbean and northeastern and southwestern portions of South America, plus two species are native to coastal areas of Europe, Africa , and Asia.

Flamingos are found in all types of shallow water habitats.  They forage in both saltwater lakes and coastal lagoons, in addition to freshwater wetlands, ponds, and mudflats.  They are able to eat prey found in very alkaline waters that most other avian species cannot tolerate.  Feral birds, ones that have escaped captivity and are now breeding in the wild, from the other three species found in North and South America have formed several colonies along the southeastern coast of the U.S.

The name flamingo comes from a Spanish word meaning flame, bright and red in color.  Immature birds are gray or brown.  They absorb carotene, a reddish-yellow pigment, from their food, which slowly changes their plumage to light pink, deepening to darker shades including reds and oranges.  It takes about three years until a bird attains the bright pink adult plumage everywhere except their flight feathers which are jet black and can be seen only when their wings are extended.

Flamingos have the longest neck and legs of any native bird in the U.S.  Wingspans on full-grown adults may reach five feet.  Flying in a V-formation, flocks move quickly, with necks extended, taking short, strong wingbeats.  Flamingos call is a strong honking, sometimes hard to distinguish from geese, to maintain the group’s cohesion in flight.  Webbed feet provide stability on soft sand, mudflats, and in shallow waters along lake bottoms.  Flamingos are excellent swimmers, and they use their webbed feet to stabilize their bodies in the water when reaching downward for food growing in deeper lakes and ponds. 

A flamingo’s bill is sharply angled downward in the middle.  On most birds, the upper bill is part of the bones of the head, heavier and immovable.  On flamingos, this is reversed and the upper bill can be used as a flap against a heavy lower bill.  When feeding, the bird lowers its head, turning the bill upside down, sweeping it from side to side through the water.  A central groove in the lower bill contains space for a fat tongue, used to push and pull higher volumes of water through the bill.  The edges of the bill are lined with rows of horny plates called lamellae that strain out crustaceans, mollusks, and small insects.  Flamingos are typically night feeders, resting during the day.

Flamingos roost in single species colonies.  They will only breed if they are part of a large group, and breeding occurs for all at the same time.  Nest mounds are volcano-shaped, arranged close by one another on a mudflat.  Each breeding pair of birds lays only one egg on top of its mound.  Parents take turns incubating the egg while the other is foraging.  Chicks stay with the parents for four to six weeks after hatching, until they are able to feed themselves.  Still unable to forage and in need of protection, all of the chicks in larger colonies may form one group called a creche.  The group can be guarded by only a few adults, giving the rest of the colony the opportunity to forage for themselves and bring back food for the creche.

Toward the end of the 1800s, feather collecting for the millinery markets adversely impacted many bird populations.  However, this did not include flamingos because their feathers quickly lose the pink color once they are removed from the bird.  Today, flamingo populations around the world are shrinking due to habitat loss.  Much of their native habitat is wetland coastal areas being developed.  In addition, flamingos do not have the capacity to switch diets, and as more wetlands are drained or polluted, food sources are continually disappearing.

Look for these magnificent birds at your local zoo, or consider a trip to see them in many of the nature areas in southern Florida.