My World of Pictures: Greater Flamingos

The male Greater Flamingos can be up to 61 inches tall which is more than many humans. They only weigh about 8 pounds which is extremely light for an animal that is so tall! Their feathers range in color from dark pink to bright red. They also have areas of white blending in with them. While in flight you will be able to see areas of black underneath as well.

The curve of their neck is very flexible due to the many vertebrae found there. They also feed upside down in the water. You will notice their black beak has a very unique design to it. They are filter feeders so they take in both their prey and water with the water being filtered back into the body of it. They feed on a variety of organisms including larvae, plankton, small fish, and whatever else the can find in those shallow bodies of water.

They communicate vocally with a type of honking that is very similar to the sounds that geese make. Living in extremely large colonies, they are able to use these sounds as well as non-verbal forms of communication to engage with each other. They don’t like their natural environment to be disrupted by noise, people, or other animals though. This can create high levels of stress for them to deal with.

Flamingos are pink because the algae they consume are loaded with beta carotene, an organic chemical that contains a reddish-orange pigment. (Beta carotene is also present in many plants, but especially in tomatoes, spinach, pumpkins, sweet potato and, of course, carrots.) The mollusks and crustaceans flamingos snack on contain similar pigment-packing carotenoids.