Flamingo Facts
Flamingo Facts
|
Flamingo is well known and easily recognized bird because of its red-purple colored feather. These birds live in shallow lakes, mangrove swamps and sandy islands of Africa, Asia, America and Europe. There are 6 species of flamingos.
| Interesting Flamingo Facts: |
|---|
| Adult bird is 3.3 - 4.6 feet tall and weigh between 3.3 - 9 pounds. |
| Flamingos wingspan ranges from 3.3 - 5 feet. |
| Color of their feather is result of their diet: pigments in their food (called carotenoids) are responsible for red and pink colors of their feathers. They eat shrimps, algae, crustaceans… |
| When they eat, their head is positioned upside-down. They suck water and filter the food. |
| Flamingos hold their breath while feeding. |
| During migration, they fly up to 37 miles per hour and travel distance of over 300 miles to reach their new habitat. |
| Flamingos spend 15-30% of the day in cleaning their feathers: oil produced in a special gland will be spread over feathers with a help of their beak. |
| Flamingos live in large groups called colonies. Some colonies consist of million birds. |
| Baby flamingos will hatch in the nest made of mud. |
| Flamingos are monogamous (they have just one partner) and they produce one egg each year. |
| Both mother and father keep the egg warm before it hatches. Few days after hatching both parents will start feeding their chick with milk-like substance rich in fats and proteins. |
| Baby flamingos don't have curved bill, it becomes curved after few months. |
| When they want to rest, flamingos stand on one leg. |
| The visible "knee" of the flamingo is actually ankle joint. True knee is close to the body and can't be seen because of the feathers. |
| Flamingos live between 20 and 30 years. |
|
Related Links: Facts Animal Facts Animals Facts Free Flamingo coloring page and tracing pages Animal Facts for Kids Las Vegas Facts Letter F Worksheets Bahamas Facts Food Chains Examples |