Common flamingo - description, habitat

Common flamingo is a fairly popular bird from the order of flamingos. The second name of these individuals is pink flamingo. Not just because almost everybody knows this species, pink flamingo is the most common, and at the same time, large variety. These birds are created by very beautiful, unique and elegant individuals. Below we present a detailed description of pink flamingos, as well as some interesting facts about these birds.

The appearance of flamingos

The appearance of these pink birds is not able to go unnoticed. These individuals are naturally awarded with thin and long legs, as well as a long and very flexible neck. The color of flamingos is very unusual and attracts many looks. In adults, the plumage often has a pale pinkish tint. The wings of these birds have a purple-red hue, with the exception of several fly wings, which are painted black. The long legs of these individuals also stand out in a pinkish tint. The beak is painted in a similar shade, only its tip is different and has a black color.

The unusual appearance of flamingos is made up not only of a beautiful color, but also of a long and graceful neck, which is very elegantly presented as a question mark. Often they attract the attention of others when they stand on one leg. They do this in order to save heat, hiding one leg in their plumage. When you look from the side, it seems that this pose is extremely uncomfortable, however, for flamingos, such a position is very simple and does not require absolutely any additional effort.

A very massive beak stands out on the head of these pink birds. Compared to most relatives, in flamingos it is the upper area of ​​the beak that is able to change position, but the lower, on the contrary, is in a static state. Also on the head of these birds you can see areas free from feathers, which are painted in bright red. These include the bridle and the area around the eyes. The body of the flamingo is rather rounded, and the tail is short.

Outwardly, they seem quite large. This is due, first of all, to their considerable length. Adults reach a length of 130 centimeters. The body weight of birds in this case is up to 4 kilograms. On the legs, 4 fingers can be distinguished, and 3 of them will be connected by a special swimming membrane.

Many people wonder why flamingos have such an unusual color for birds - pink. The fact is that this shade is given to them by a certain substance - carotene, which enters their body with food. A greater amount of carotene is found in small red crustaceans, which are used in large quantities by flamingos. It is to them that the birds owe their beautiful unusual color.

Living in a zoo, flamingos also retain their color, as products containing carotene are introduced into their diet. These include carrots, small crustaceans, and sweet peppers. It is thanks to these components that flamingos in the zoo remain as bright and beautiful as in nature.

Habitat and lifestyle

Flamingo pink or common - the most common type of flamingo. These birds live in Europe, mainly from the south, in Africa, as well as in southwest Asia. In the European part of the areola, flamingos can be found in Sardinia, France, as well as Spain. On the African continent, flamingos are found in its southern territories. Moreover, these individuals are common in Tunisia, on the island of Cape Verde, in Morocco, Kenya and Mauritania.You can also notice strolling flamingos on the island of Sri Lanka, in the lakes of southern Afghanistan and in northwest India. Surprisingly, these birds can also be found in parts of Kazakhstan's water bodies.

In our country, pink flamingos do not equip nests, however, every year they migrate along the mouth of the Volga River, Stavropol Territory and the Krasnodar Region. Sometimes these individuals even fly to Siberia, the Urals, Yakutia and the Primorsky Territory. They do not live in Russia, but only fly past its territories. Flamingos survive the winter in the territories of Azerbaijan, Iran and Turkmenistan.

Flamingos are collective birds, they do not live alone. You can meet them in the most diverse groups. When birds fly from one place to another, they join in fairly large flocks. During nesting, keep in small groups. Common flamingos are located mainly in lakes with a high salt content in the water, as well as in estuaries and sea lagoons. You can meet them in places that do not have open access and include a muddy bottom of the reservoir. These birds live along the shores of large lakes and other bodies of water. Here you can see whole colonies of flamingos, their number can reach several hundred thousand individuals.

In most cases, flamingos lead an exclusively sedentary lifestyle, however, from time to time they are able to move within their areola if they find places with more comfortable conditions. Sometimes the reason for the move is insufficient food in the same place of residence. Those populations that live in the north make flights to warmer territories for nesting.

Flamingos are hardy birds that can live in completely different conditions. They easily tolerate temperature jumps and are also able to survive even extreme weather conditions. They are found near very salty and alkaline bodies of water. This is due primarily to the fact that a large number of crustaceans live in such lakes. As a rule, fish are absent here, because they cannot live in such salt water. Mostly common flamingos live on lakes high in the mountains.

Thanks to the active work of business executives, as well as the activities of poachers, the number of flamingo colonies was significantly reduced. To date, in the Red Book, this species is listed as not causing concern.

Flamingo diet

The basis of the diet of ordinary flamingos are crustaceans. In addition to them, they can be used to eat various insects, worms, mollusks and even algae. An unusual and large beak helps to obtain food for these birds, with the help of which it can easily separate food from water and silt. First, the bird draws water in its beak, after which it closes it and begins to gradually push out the water, leaving food in its mouth. This process is very fast.

The only danger for flamingos is predators, which often settle close to their colonies. If individuals feel danger and anxiety, they scatter and take off. It is interesting that equally successfully flamingos can scatter both on water and on land.

Video: common flamingo (Phoenicopterus roseus)