F ... is for Flamingo!
Flamingos or flamingoes are a type of wading bird in the genus Phoenicopterus,
the only genus in the family Phoenicopteridae.
Flamingos often stand on one leg,
the other leg tucked beneath the body. The reason for this behavior is not
fully understood. Recent research indicates that standing on one leg may allow
the birds to conserve more body heat, given that they spend a significant
amount of time wading in cold water. However,
the behavior also takes place in warm water. As well as standing in the water,
flamingos may stamp their webbed feet in the mud to stir up food from the
bottom.
Young flamingos hatch with
greyish reddish plumage, but adults range from light pink to bright red due to
aqueous bacteria and beta-Carotene obtained from their food supply. A
well-fed, healthy flamingo is more vibrantly colored and thus a more desirable
mate; a white or pale flamingo, however, is usually unhealthy or malnourished. Captive flamingos are a notable exception;
many turn a pale pink as they are not fed carotene at levels comparable to the
wild.
Flamingos are very social birds;
they live in colonies whose population can number in the thousands. These large
colonies are believed to serve three purposes for the flamingos: avoiding
predators, maximizing food intake, and using scarce suitable nesting sites more
efficiently. Before breeding,
flamingo colonies split into breeding groups of between about 15 and 50 birds.
Both males and females in these groups perform synchronized ritual displays. The members of a group stand together
and display to each other by stretching their necks upwards, then uttering
calls while head-flagging, and then flapping their wings. The displays do not seem to be
directed towards an individual but instead occur randomly. These displays stimulate
"synchronous nesting" (see below) and help pair up those birds who do
not already have mates.
Flamingos form strong pair bonds although in larger colonies flamingos
sometimes change mates, presumably because there are more mates to choose from. Flamingo pairs establish and defend
nesting territories. They locate a suitable spot on the mudflat to build a nest
(the spot is usually chosen by the female). It
is during nest building that copulation usually occurs. Nest building is
sometimes interrupted by another flamingo pair trying to commandeer the nesting
site for their own use. Flamingos aggressively defend their nesting sites. Both
the male and the female contribute to building the nest, and to defending the
nest and egg.
Be blessed and be a blessing!
Photo taken at Gatorland
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