Flamingo [English Task]
Flamingo Facts
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Phoenicopteriformes |
| Family: | Phoenicopteridae |
| Genus: | Phoenicopterus |
| Scientific Name: | Phoenicopterus |
| Type: | Bird |
| Diet: | Omnivore |
| Size (H): | 100cm - 150cm (39in - 59in) |
| Wing Span: | 100cm - 180cm (59in - 71in) |
| Weight: | 2kg - 4kg (4.4lbs - 8.8lbs) |
| Top Speed: | 50km/h (31mph) |
| Life Span: | 15 - 30 years |
| Lifestyle: | Flock |
| Conservation Status: | Least Concern |
| Colour: | Pink, Orange, Blue, White |
| Skin Type: | Feathers |
| Favourite Food: | Algae |
| Habitat: | Large lakes and plant less lagoons |
| Average Clutch Size: | 1 |
| Main Prey: | Algae, Fish, Insects |
| Predators: | Human, Eagles, Wild dogs |
| Distinctive Features: | Long, curved beak and sleep standing on one leg |
The flamingo is a large colourful bird found
both in South America and Africa.
The flamingo is also found in the warmer areas of southern Europe and
western Asia.
The
flamingo stays in flocks of up to around 200 birds and feeds on fish in stiller rivers and lakes. The
flamingo usually gets to about 30 years old although it is not uncommon for
some flamingos to get to 50 years old
Species
Most species of flamingo
are a pinky/orange colour, some however can be
white, black or even blue. The colour of the flamingo
comes from the flamingo eating a type of algae that
then turns the flamingo into the bright pink bird that we are so familiar with.
There are six different species of flamingo
found around the world. The different flamingo species are the
greater flamingo which is the most widespread species of flamingo
found in Africa, Southern Europe and Southern Asia. The lesser
flamingo is the most numerous species of flamingo
and is found in Africa and Northern India. The Chilean
flamingo is a large species of flamingo
that is found in South America. The James's flamingo is a small and delicate species of flamingo
that is found in the Andes mountains in Peru, Chile, Boliviaand Argentina. The Andean
flamingo is closely related to the James's flamingo and is also related to Andes mountains in Peru, Chile, Bolivia and Argentina.
The American flamingo is a large species of flamingo
that is found in the Caribbean islands and the
Galapagos islands.
Life Cycle
Although flamingos only nest once a
year, flamingo colonies are known to breed at any time of the year. A flamingo
reaches sexual maturity (which means the flamingo is able to breed) when the
flamingo is between 3 and 6 years old. Flamingos build their nests out of mud,
stones and feathers and do so about 6 weeks before they lay their eggs.
Flamingos tend to lay just one egg that hatches after a 30 day incubation period. Both the mother
flamingo and the father flamingo are known to help to raise the flamingo chick.
Feeding
Flamingos use their large, oddly shaped beaks to filter shrimp out of the
water. The flamingo uses it's strangely shaped upside-down beak to separate mud
and food in the water. The mouth of the flamingo is covered in little hairs
called lamellae which assist in the filtering of water and the flamingo also
has a rough tongue which the flamingo also uses to help it to filter food out
of the water.
Flamingos have relatively few predators in the wild
but this is dependent on the area in which the flamingo inhabits. Human hunters, wild dogs and crocodiles are the main predators of the
flamingo, along with eagles that prey upon the
flamingo eggs and vulnerable flamingo
chicks.
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