What makes flamingos unique

The flamingo is well known for having extremely long legs. Another physical feature they are known for is that long, curved neck. They have 19 elongated cervical vertebrae, so the neck can move fluidly and even twist. These feathers are actually protective, keeping the skin from getting damaged. It is a very common misconception that flamingos do not fly, but they have the ability to fly hundred miles a day between different locations for the sake of finding food.

The algae flamingos eat consist of alpha and beta carotenoid pigments. Flamingos are actually born with a white or grayish tone, which changes over time due to this diet rich in carotenoids. Believe it or not, flamingos shed and replace their body and wing feathers at very irregular intervals. Believe it or not, when the flamingo is born they have greyish eyes.

The brighter the feathers, the more well-fed the flamingo is. They live in and around lagoons or lakes. A flock of flamingos is called a stand or a flamboyance. Don Featherstone of Massachusetts is the inventor of the pink plastic lawn flamingo, which first went on sale in The pink tropical bird is a preppy fashion statement that we fully support. In fact, we've already ordered these flamingo Espadrille shoes by Soludos for summer.

Flamingos are very social. Flamingo chicks hatch with white-gray, downy feathers and straight bills. It takes several years for them to acquire their signature pink color and hook-shaped bills.

Flamingos really are what they eat. Many plants produce natural red, yellow or orange pigments, called carotenoids. Carotenoids give carrots their orange color or turn ripe tomatoes red. They are also found in the microscopic algae that brine shrimp eat. As a flamingo dines on algae and brine shrimp, its body metabolizes the pigments — turning its feathers pink. The term filter feeder may conjure images of baleen whales or oyster reefs, but flamingos are filter feeders too.

They eat algae, small seeds, tiny crustaceans like brine shrimp , fly larvae, and other plants and animals that live in shallow waters. It then sweeps its head side-to-side, using its tongue to pump water in and out of its bill. Comb-like plates along the edge of the bill create a filter for water to rush out, while trapping food inside.

In warm climates, flamingos keep cool by standing in water. A group of crows is called a murder, and a group of geese is called a gaggle. So, what is a group of flamingos called? A flamboyance! Other collective nouns for flamingos include stand, colony and pat. In the wild, flamingos sometimes gather by the thousands! Greater flamingos are found in parts of Africa, Asia, and Europe. They are the largest and tallest flamingo species. Andean flamingos are the rarest of the six species, with fewer than 40, birds.