Flamingos are wading bird, and they belong in the family Phoenicopteridae. In the flamingo family there are six different species of them, and you can find them in South and North America, Asia, Africa, and also in southern Europe. Two species are native to Afro-Eurasia.
The flamingos were first recognized by the French zoologist Charles Lucien Bonaparte in 1831. Flamingos’ closest relatives are storks, but also they are in the same family with ibises and spoonbills.
Usually flamingos are standing on one leg. Scientist don’t know why they are doing it, but they guess it allows them to save some body heat. The other theory is that it will help them to save the energy from producing the muscles. They have been studies that standing on one leg is possible without any muscle activity. Flamingos are able to fly, so birds who are kept in captivity often need to have their wings clipped to prevent escape.
When the flamingoes are born, they have gayish-red feathers. The adult flamingo feather colour ranges from light pink to bright red. Flamingoes who are well fed are more vibrant, and therefore they are more likely to mate. A light pink or even white flamingo is usually sick or underfed. The biggest flamingo species is almost 1.2 to 1.4 m high, and it can weigh up to 3.5 kg. The shortest flamingo specie height is up to 0.8 m, and they weigh up to 2.5 kg. Flamingo wing length ranges from 94 cm to 150 cm.
The name flamingo originates from Portuguese or Spanish flamengo, and it means flame-colored. The family name Phoenicopterus comes from Greek, and if you translate it, it means red-feathered.
Other than their really bright colour, flamingos also have really interesting courtship dance. All the six species have the dance rituals, but the routines differ from each other a little bit. The courtship dance is usually started by the tallest male flamingos, they start it with ‘head fragging’ (moving head from side-to-side). After this all the other flamingos from both sexes join the dance. They also add to their courtship dance some wing movements.
The reason why flamingos are pink is because of their diet. They mostly feed on algae, shrimp, and crustaceans. Flamingos are usually found in wetlands, and these are backed with blue-green algae. The water in the wetlands is so alkaline in pH that it is dangerous for other animals. The name blue-green algae might be misleading, but this algae is red or orange-colored because of a chemical called beta-carotene. This pigment is also found in carrots, sweet potatoes, and spinach. Once the flamingo eats the pigment, it breaks down in their digestive system, and the pigment is absorbed by the fat in their liver. The fat is then deposited in the flamingo’s feathers and skin. And since flamingos mostly eat the blue-green algae, they turn a bright pink colour.
After the breeding season flamingoes can lose a little bit of their bright colour. On of the reasons is that breeding is intensive and feeding their chicks also needs a lot of energy. They feed their chicks with crop milk. Crop milk is something what adult birds produce in their throat. The secretion is high on carotenoids, and that is the reason why some of the adult birds lose their colour. This light colour also means that they are not ready for mating.
Flamingo feather colour can also vary because of the algae and crustaceans, because the carotenoid level in them is different. Flamingos who live in Caribbean areas are often more bright red and orange. Carotenoids themselves can bleach in the sun. One flamingo breed (Phoenicopterus roseus) uses pigments secreted directly from its glands to give its feathers a bright pink glow.
Flamingos that are kept in captivity most of the time are light pink to almost white-colored. Even though they are very well nourished. This happens when they don’t get enough carotenoids.
Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flamingo
https://www.sciencefocus.com/nature/why-are-flamingos-pink
https://www.newscientist.com/question/why-are-flamingos-pink/
https://www.sciencefocus.com/nature/why-are-flamingos-pink