Flamingos: interesting facts. Pink flamingo

Flamingos are one of the most amazing and controversial birds. On the one hand, their body is disproportionate: a short torso, a very long neck, incredibly thin legs, a small head and a curved beak are somehow disproportionate to each other. On the other hand, such disproportion is surprisingly harmonious and flamingos have become synonymous with grace and sophisticated beauty.

Red or Caribbean flamingos (Phoenicopterus ruber).

At first glance, flamingos in their appearance resemble legged birds - storks, herons, cranes - but with none of them. listed species they are not related. The closest relatives of flamingos are ... banal geese. Previously, flamingos were even classified as an Anseriformes, but then they were separated into a separate Flamingos order, which has only 6 species. All representatives of the detachment are medium-sized birds, weighing several kilograms. hallmark flamingos are long legs and neck, necessary for moving through the shallow waters of the reservoirs. The paws of flamingos are clawed like those of a goose. The large beak of a flamingo, as if broken in the middle, is also similar to a goose, its edges are dotted with small teeth. These cloves form a filtering apparatus with which flamingos get food.

The fringed edge of the flamingo's beak works like a whalebone.

All types of flamingos have a similar coloration from pale pink to deep scarlet. Flamingos are typical inhabitants of the tropics, but some species can tolerate the cold. So, South American species of flamingos inhabit the highlands of the Andes, where frosts are not uncommon. Pink, or common flamingos live in the subtropical and even in the south of the temperate zone; in the northern part of the range, these birds are migratory. There are cases when flamingos accidentally flew even to the territory of Estonia during flights. All species of flamingos live along the banks of shallow water bodies, and flamingos prefer water bodies with a high salt content. Such habits are due to the nature of food. Flamingos feed on small crustaceans and microscopic algae, rich in coloring substances - carotenoids. These organisms are not found in fresh water, therefore, in search of food, flamingos are forced to populate extreme places. In some African lakes inhabited by flamingos, the water is so alkaline that it can literally corrode living flesh. Flamingos survive in such reservoirs thanks to the dense skin that covers the legs of birds, but with the slightest damage to it, inflammation occurs, which can end badly for the bird. By the way, flamingos owe these crustaceans their magnificent plumage color: pigments accumulate in feathers and give them a pink or red tint. When kept in a zoo, flamingos eventually lose their pigment and turn white. To keep their attractive appearance, coloring components, such as red pepper, are added to the bird feed. Such "artificial" birds can be recognized by the red-orange hue of feathers.

All flamingos are flocking birds living in large flocks of several thousand individuals. In search of food, flamingos gather in a dense flock and walk together in shallow water, churning the water with their paws. At the same time, they lower their beak into the water and filter edible living creatures through it.

Lesser flamingos (Phoeniconaias minor) feed on African Lake Nakuru.

Flamingos sleep right in shallow water, standing in the water. Flamingos fly well, but takeoff (like many goose birds) is associated with some difficulties.

First, flamingos accelerate by running, then with a flap of their wings they rise into the air, continuing to sort through their paws for some time by inertia. Flamingos fly with outstretched neck and legs.

Chilean flamingos (Phoenicopterus chilensis) in flight.

The nature of these birds is peaceful, they rarely fight with each other. During the mating season, flamingos arrange a collective "wedding" dance. They crash into large group and they mince in shallow water with small steps, accompanying the procession with a bass chuckle.

The mating dance of the rarest of all species, the James flamingo (Phoenicoparrus jamesi).

Flamingos also nest together at a distance of 0.5 -1 m from each other, choosing for this hard-to-reach places- islands, marshy shores and shoals. Flamingo nests look very unusual - these are cone-shaped turrets up to 70 cm high, molded from silt and mud.

Flamingos in the nest.

At the top of such a cabinet is a tray with eggs. Such bird nests are built to protect the masonry from the caustic water of salt lakes. Flamingos are not very prolific and they have only 1-3 eggs in one clutch. Both parents take turns incubating them for a month. Flamingo chicks look even more amazing. In the first days of life, they look like adopted children because they do not look like their parents at all. The chicks are covered with white fluff, their legs are short, and their beak is completely straight! How can one not remember about the relationship with geese! Chicks are born quite developed, but the first days sit in the nest. Parents feed them with a kind of "bird's milk" - a special burp from the goiter gently color pink.

Flamingo feeding a chick.

After two weeks, the beaks of the chicks begin to bend and they gradually switch to self-feeding, but for a long time they are under the supervision of adults. At the same time, the chicks gather in a herd, and several adult birds guard them, after a while the “watchmen on duty” change. For a long time, young animals have to walk like “ugly ducklings” with dirty gray plumage, because flamingos reach sexual maturity only by 3-5 years.

Young flamingo.

The life of a flamingo is full of dangers. Due to the peculiarities of their physiology, these birds often get injured, wounded flamingos in nature are almost doomed. Flamingos are hunted by almost all local predators - from hyenas and baboons to kites and foxes. Only a man, by some miracle, bypassed this bird with his gastronomic gaze. But people have always been attracted appearance these birds, because of their beauty, all zoos sought to have them, but flamingos never became ordinary inhabitants of poultry houses. These near-water birds need to be kept in special conditions, and breeding is possible only when kept in large groups.

The most incredible birds live on our planet. They, and all the colors of the rainbow, and plain. Fluffy or no feathers at all. Huge eagles or miniature canaries. Chickens, ducks, owls, owls, turkeys, peacocks and parrots.

And what do we know about rare birds listed in the Red Book? Absolutely nothing. One of the representatives of this book is Pink Flamingos. These are such ancient birds, one would assume that they saw dinosaurs. After all, the very first, ancient fossilized flamingo skeleton , over forty-five million years!

Description and features of flamingos

flamingo bird , a resident of the African and southern parts of the Asian continent, some territorial parts of southern Europe. And even in St. Petersburg and Dagestan, they were noticed.

Pink flamingos- one of the largest representatives of its kind. The rest of them are: Common and Red flamingos. Andean and Chilean flamingos. Small and Flamingo James.

The smallest of flamingo species, this is Small. It does not grow even a meter high, and already an adult bird weighs only two kilograms. Pink adults individuals flamingos weigh four or five kilograms.

BUT flamingo growth, one and a half meters. In fact, they have the most long necks and legs, when compared with the families of cranes and herons. Well, as always happens in nature, males, of course, are larger and more beautiful than females.

flamingo color a variety of shades, from dirty white, gray, to rich coral, purple. And their color depends on what they eat. After all, some algae eaten color their feathers in a subtly pink hue.

And the more flamingos eat those same algae, the brighter the color will be. And the tips of the wings are black. But this can only be seen when the bird is in flight. After all, there is no more beautiful sight than a flock of flying Pink Flamingos.

flamingo head small size, but it has a huge beak. The edges of which are equipped with very small teeth partitions. The upper part of the beak is curved, similar to a knee, pointed towards the bottom.

And only it is a movable part, unlike the bottom. The base of the beak and up to its half is light, the end is dark, almost black. The neck is longer and thinner than the swan's, so the bird quickly gets tired of keeping it straight, and often throws it on its back to relax the muscles. On the chin and in the eye area, flamingos have no feathers at all. The plumage of the whole bird is loose. And their tails are very short.

The wingspan of an adult flamingo is one and a half meters. It is interesting that, having become lazy, the bird completely loses feathers on its wings, and all at once. And for a whole month, until she fledges again, she becomes vulnerable, defenseless against predators. Since it completely loses the ability to fly.

The legs of pink flamingos are thin and long. In the event of an escape, in order to take off, they need to run another five meters along a shallow bank. Then taking off, flapping wings very often.

And already being in the air, keep the neck, evenly extended, in the forward direction. Legs also do not bend throughout the journey. Like a flock of pink crosses flying across the sky.

Also, visible on flamingo photo, they always stand on one leg. And it's not just that. They have to stay in the water for a long time, which is not always warm. Therefore, in order not to overcool their body, the flamingo now and then changes one or the other leg.

The front toes are elongated, have membranes like those of waterfowl. And the back toe, like a small process, is on the leg, higher than the front ones. Or some don't have it at all.

The nature and lifestyle of flamingos

flamingo birds live in large flocks, consisting of several hundred thousand birds. They live on the quiet banks of rivers and ponds. These birds are not all migratory.

Because some of them live in the southern territories, then they don’t need to fly for the winter. Well, the inhabitants of the northern regions, of course, with the advent of cold weather, are looking for warmer places to live.

Reservoirs for living, birds choose not deep-sea, and only with salt water. Fish, flamingo, practically not interested . They need a large number of crustaceans and algae that color birds. And since they choose such lakes for themselves, the lakeside shoreline is also painted pink.

The skin on the paws is so versatile that the salt in the water does not damage it in any way. And to get drunk, birds fly in fresh water, or lick rainwater from their feathers after rainfall.

Reproduction and lifespan of flamingos

Puberty occurs in birds by the age of four. And just then, their feathers begin to acquire pink hues. Birds can mate different time of the year. But they prefer warm summer days. Then there is more food, and the climate for offspring flamingos it is better.

It all starts with the flirting of the male with the female. He circles around the lady of the heart, raising and lowering his head, flapping his short wings, and, as it were, pinching her with his beak. When the half reciprocates, she completely begins to follow the man, repeating his movements.

It looks like a very beautiful dance. If a couple is chosen, then once and for the rest of their lives. After all, birds are very devoted to each other. They move away from the pack a little to mate.

After, the male starts building a house for the future offspring. He builds it only on the water, so that no predator can get to the helpless children. The composition of the future home is clay compounds, twigs, feathers.

And the building must necessarily rise above the water. The nest looks like a square hill, in the middle with a hollow for eggs. The female lays one, rarely two eggs, uniformly white color.

And together with their companion, they begin to incubate. When one of them sits in the nest, the second one eats at this time, restores strength. On the nest, flamingos sit with their knees bent. And only leaning on the beak, they can rise.

A month later, snow-white, fluffy like snowflakes babies appear. What is interesting, since flamingos live in large families, and their nests are located next to each other. Every parent recognizes their child by the squeak.

After all, while still in the shell, the chicks were already making sounds. It is not customary for flamingos to feed other people's children, like cuckoos. Therefore, if suddenly something happens to the parents, the little chick will die of hunger.

The first week, the offspring are fed with excretory secretion, pink in color, in composition very similar to the milk of animals, and people too. And just like that, after seven or eight days, the chicks jump out of their shelter to splash on the water, and profit from something. And they will be able to learn to fly and fully, eat on their own, only after three months of their lives.

In the wild, pink flamingos live for thirty or even forty years. In zoos and reserves, much longer. In one of the protected areas, there is a flamingo old-timer, he is already in his eighth decade.

Flamingo food

Flamingo birds live in large, friendly flocks. But when the time comes flamingo food, they begin to zealously divide the territory, not letting anyone in, to their chosen place of catch.

They begin to look for food, raking the muddy bottom with their membranes on their fingers. Then they lower their head down, and twist it so that the beak turns out to be a sharp end to the top.

And having opened it, they swallow everything in a row, along with water. Then closing the beak, and its edges, as we already know, are serrated. Releases completely all the water from the cylindrical beak. Well, what's left, swallows. Whether it is a crustacean, or a fry, or a tadpole, or a component of the bottom itself.

Do not forget that pink flamingos are listed in the Red Book of Russia. Though flamingo population and not on the verge of extinction, yet you need to be very careful about the reproduction of their species.

Many birds die from predatory animals, foxes and badgers. From birds of prey that destroy nests, these are gulls and vultures. During the flight, accidentally sitting down to rest, on electric wires.

A lot of rivers and lakes have dried up, on which these birds lived. And although they are ancient earthly inhabitants, they still treat people with prejudice. And they settle in places very remote from humans.

Because it is people who are the most terrible enemies. Instead of saving, we are destroying such beautiful creatures. Eating their meat, eggs. Using their unusual feathers for jewelry.

And you never know the fattening rich who, by all means, want to get such an outlandish bird into their household, knowing nothing at all about it. As a result, flamingos die stupidly.

According to the latest research by scientists, pink flamingos are one of the most ancient birds on Earth. Nowadays, the population of these birds has significantly decreased and become unstable, which has led to the registration of birds in the International Red Book.

Geography of residence

The largest populations of pink flamingos live in Africa and India. Also, these birds can be found in Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Afghanistan, Russia, Spain, Southern France, Iran. For their residence, pink flamingos choose small bays of sea coasts, or small salt lakes.

Pink flamingos looking for food.

Pink flamingos in flight.

Appearance

Pink flamingos cannot be confused with other birds due to their unique body structure and unique plumage. The height of birds can reach 145 cm, with an average weight of only 2.2 - 4.2 kg, males are slightly larger than females.

Pink flamingo: photo of a bird in flight.

Crooked beak of a pink flamingo.

Pink flamingo: photo of the beak from the lower angle.

Leggy female pink flamingo.

Pink flamingo: close-up photo of the head and beak.

Pink flamingo: beautiful photo.

Pink flamingos coo.

The photo shows another distinguishing feature pink flamingos - a small head with a massive beak, steeply curved down. This structure of the beak is due to the nutrition of the bird - the need to filter the water in search of small food. The neck of birds is very thin and arched in the shape of the letter S.

The plumage of pink flamingos has a loose structure, which is why it gets wet quickly, so birds usually live only in shallow water. The color of their feathers is truly unique - pale pink with black wingtips. This color of flamingo feathers is due to the presence in the tissues of coloring pigments of carotenoids, which birds receive by eating crustaceans. If the bird gets into captivity, then after two weeks this color disappears. Birds "get" their pink plumage in the third year of life, young birds have gray-brown feathers.

Diet and behavior

The basis of the diet of pink flamingos are small crustaceans and their eggs. Birds can also feed on insect larvae, worms, mollusks and algae. Usually flamingos look for food on the same reservoir where they nest, however, if there is not enough food, they make daily long-distance flights to other reservoirs.

Pink flamingos themselves can become the prey of other raptors - falcons, kites and eagles, which settle near flamingo colonies. Also, these birds can suffer from foxes, wolves and jackals.

Pink flamingos and seagulls in shallow water.

Pink flamingos before the flight.

Pink flamingos are flying over the water.

The pink flamingo is dancing on the water.

A group of male pink flamingos.

Pink flamingo takes off, rear view.

The pink flamingo accelerates before takeoff.

A flock of pink flamingos on the lake.

pink flamingos in dirty water looking for food.

The head of a pink flamingo.

reproduction

Pink flamingos become sexually mature at 4-5 years of age. They always nest in large colonies, sometimes up to 200,000 pairs. If you take a photo of the mating dances of pink flamingos, it immediately catches your eye that all movements are performed by the flock absolutely synchronously.

Both the future father and mother take part in the construction of the nest. As building material shell rock and mud are used for nests, the structure is obtained in the form of a truncated cone, up to 50 cm high.

Pairs of pink flamingos are formed both for one season and for several years. In the laying of flamingos, usually one or two white eggs, both partners incubate the offspring, and after 27 - 33 days, chicks are born. By the time the chicks should hatch from the eggs, both parents have a threefold increase in goiter, from which “goiter milk” begins to stand out - a mixture of semi-digested food and secretions from the goiter itself, it is with this mass that the chicks are fed from beak to beak. Nutritionally, this food is similar to the milk of mammals. Chicks are born covered with former down, the growth of feathers begins from the second month, and the chicks become winged on the 65-75th day.

Pink flamingos choose a couple.

Flamingo (lat. Phoenicopterclassae) is the only family of birds in the order of flamingo-like birds with long, thin legs and a flexible neck, a large beak curved downwards, the horny plates of the tongue and jaws of which help it filter food obtained from water and silt. The hind toe is either poorly developed or absent at all; the front toes form a swimming membrane.

The plumage of birds is soft and loose, absent on the head in the region of the eyes, bridle and chin. The tail is short. Includes six species: Andean flamingo, red flamingo, lesser flamingo, common flamingo, Chilean flamingo and James flamingo.

The body length of an adult bird ranges from 105 (Chilean flamingo) - 110 (red flamingo) to 130 centimeters (pink flamingo), weight - 3.5 - 4.5 kilograms. Distributed in southwestern Europe, Africa, southwestern Asia, central and southern North America. Flocking birds nest in colonies (sometimes tens of thousands of individuals) on shallow sea coasts and salt lakes.

All flamingos are pink. Perhaps only in songs .... In fact, the color of flamingo plumage varies from white to red and even crimson. Somewhere in the middle, of course, is the pink hue inherent in the largest flamingo species - the pink flamingo. Flamingo wingtips are black. Males and females are colored the same. The degree of brightness of the plumage depends on the carotenoid - a substance that enters the bird's body with food. Birds living in captivity, as well as young individuals, receiving an insufficient amount of carotenoids, have white feathers. To preserve their color, flamingos in captivity are fed not only seafood, but also carrots.

Flamingos live in the south. Southeast (South Afghanistan) and Central Asia (Northwest India), Africa (lakes of Kenya, South Tunisia, Morocco, North Mauritania, Cape Verde Islands), South (Andean flamingos) and Central America (red and Chilean flamingos). Colonies of pink flamingos are found in Sardinia and the south of France (Camargue reserve, at the mouth of the Rhone River) and Spain (Las Marismas).

Flamingos live in colonies. And quite large: in one colony, sometimes you can count up to a million birds. Flamingos settle on the banks of small reservoirs, shallow waters, lagoons, while they do not disdain those that no other living creature will live next to: for example, near very salty or alkaline lakes. It is also interesting that flamingos live not only on the plains, but also high in the mountains - for example, in the Andes.

Before taking off, flamingos run through the water. This is true, usually the length of the run is 5-6 meters and falls on shallow water. In the sky, the flamingo flies in the shape of a cross, stretching its neck and legs.

Flamingos stand on one leg, because at this time they warm the other. The flamingo's legs are long, there are no feathers on them, respectively, and the heat from such a surface, especially in windy weather, leaves very quickly. It is to keep warm that the flamingo stands on one leg, especially since such a position, due to the physiological specifics of the flamingo's paw, does not present any difficulties for the bird.

Flamingos eat fish. In fact, they feed on other aquatic foods: algae, seeds of aquatic plants, insect larvae and small crustaceans (planktonic crustaceans), which supply the flamingo's body with carotenoid. In case of a shortage of food in their places of residence, flamingos can fly for it within 30-50 kilometers to other lakes. The process of eating a flamingo looks quite interesting: the bird plunges its head upside down with its beak into the water, steps from one foot to the other, and thus drives the water with possible food past its beak, which filters the edible from the inedible. Flamingos feed at any time of the day and regardless of weather conditions.

Flamingos build their nests out of mud. This is what male flamingos do. The nests are in the form of a conical column with a truncated top and a cup-shaped depression on top. Unlike the nests of other birds, flamingo nests are bare - they do not have grass or any other insulating vegetation. Nest size - from 10 to 60 cm, diameter at the base - 40-50 cm. The nest usually contains from 1 to 3 olive-green eggs. Flamingo nests are located next to each other, usually at a distance of 50 to 80 cm. Future parents sit on the nest with their legs tucked in, and get out of it, resting their beak on the ground and only then straightening their legs.

Flamingos feed the chicks with a special liquid. A kind of bird's "milk", consisting of special secretions from the glands of the lower part of the esophagus and pancreas, semi-digested crustaceans and algae. The nutritional value of this liquid is quite comparable to the nutritional value of mammalian milk. Small flamingos feed on bird "milk" for the first two months of their lives and intensively grow their beak for self-feeding.

Common poaching has led to the worldwide decline of flamingos. And the ruin of the nests of pink-feathered beauties. One of the types of flamingos - the James flamingo, inhabiting the Bolivian and north Argentine Andes, was generally considered extinct at the beginning of the last century, it was found only in 1957. At the moment, flamingos are listed in the Red Books of many countries, including the Red Book of the International Union for Conservation of Nature.