- Fossil records indicate that flamingos first roamed the earth about 30 million years ago.
- There are six different types of flamingos that range from Africa to Europe to Asia to South America and the Caribbean.
- They live in shallow lakes, lagoons, swamps, and areas where the ocean mixes with fresh water.
- Flamingos get their pink coloring from eating shrimp and other crustaceans that contain high levels of carotenes.
- They have webbed feet.
- Flamingos reach sexual maturity several years after hatching and usually begin to breed at about six years of age.
- Flamingo parents share the workload in child-rearing. They both build the nest, incubate the egg and nurse the chick when it hatches.
- They build nest mounds made of mud, small stones, straw, and feathers. These mounds can be as high as 30 cm (12 in.).
- Flamingos lay one egg at a time.
- The incubation period is between 26 and 31 days.
- Newly-hatched chicks have gray or white down feathers, a straight red bill, and plump, swollen red or pink legs.
- Parents are able to recognize their own chick by sight and vocalizations. They will feed no other chick.
- Flamingo chicks have gray eyes for approximately the first year of life. Adult flamingos have yellow eyes.
- The adults and chicks stay in the nesting site for the first six days. The chicks begin to move and explore their surroundings at about seven to twelve days.
- Flamingos are about four feet tall and have a wingspan of up to five feet.
- The average flamingo weighs about 3.5kg (7.7lbs)
- They live between 20 to 30 years.
- Flamingos, like pigeons, feed their young a milk-like substance that is formed in their digestive tract.
- In Ancient Rome, flamingo tongues were considered a delicacy.
- Ancient Egyptians believed flamingos to be the living representation of the god Ra.
- Pink plastic flamingo statues are popular lawn ornaments in the United States.
- Flamingos are very social birds. They live in colonies that can number in the thousands.
- Flamingos have little or no sense of smell, and their sense of taste is also poorly developed.
- They have good eyesight and well-developed color perception.
- Flamingos can drink hot water from geysers at temperatures that are almost boiling.
- Flight speed of a flock of flamingos can reach 50 to 60 kph (31-37 mph).
- Flamingos are generally very noisy birds. Vocalizations range from nasal honking to grunting or growling.
- Experts have not yet determined how long flamingos live. At the Philadelphia Zoo, one flamingo lived 44 years.
- Flamingos spend 15 to 30% of the day preening.
0 comments:
Post a Comment