Lets Flamingle!

Wanna hear some fun flamingo facts? Lets Flamingle!

My daughter simply loves animal, so when it came time to pick a place to take her for her birthday a trip to the zoo was a no brainer.

However a trip to the zoo is not just for kids it’s fun for adults to! And considering that my daughter asks a million questions a minute my curiosity could not help but be aroused.

One of the animals that really got me thinking was the simply gorgeous flamingo,

Why?

Well aside from Flamingos being gorgeous, they are also, how shall I put it?

Different

They eat with their head's upside down, sleep with their heads on their backs, and while we get tired out by standing on one leg, Flamingoes can rest for hours by doing just that, Standing on one leg!

Wanno know some of the amazing facts about flamingoes?

Read on!

 1.Famous Birds - Because flamingo have red-purple feathers, the flamingo is a well-known and easily recognized bird. These birds can be found in Africa, Asia, America, and Europe in shallow lakes, mangrove swamps, and sandy islands.  

However in reality the color of a flamingoes feathers can range from white to pink to orange,

Why you ask?

Because the color of their feather depends upon their diet. Pigments are found in the algae, mollusks, and crustaceans that are a basic part of the flamingo diet, and the amount of pigment in their food determines the color of their plumage. 

2.Pink Power!

In flamingo world pink symbolizes strength and that’s why the pinkest birds have the highest rank in the colony. Their vivid color means they are really good at finding and obtaining food!

3.Ever seen a white flamingo?

Chances are they are younger then 2 years old. You see since the pink color is caused by pigments baby flamingo who are still getting “flamingo milk from their Mommy’s don’t have them but these babies called “flamingets” start off pale and as they grow older get more rosy hues.

 4.Most of us have trouble standing one leg for 10 seconds, let alone four hours like flamingos do.  

 By us standing on one leg makes it hard to balance, by flamingoes it’s the opposite they stand on leg as a natural reflex that helps them maintain their balance and keeps them from falling over. 

 Another reason found is that some flamingos live in very salty and alkaline lakes that burn their skin, alternating between legs may help them avoid overexposure.

Another cool fact is that the flamingo's visible "knee" is actually an ankle joint. Because of the feathers, the true knee is close to the body and cannot be seen. 

 5.Heads Up – Flamingo eat with their heads turned upside down.

It will submerge its neck into the water and feed with its mouth practically upside down. It will then seal its mouth and use its tongue to force the water out through comb-like extensions on its beak, retaining all of the food inside. While feeding, flamingos hold their breath. 

6.Yes Flamingo are gorgeous.

Know why?

How much time do you spend on daily selfcare?  

Well flamingo’s probably spend more time (not sure if this applies to everyone!)

Better believe, flamingos clean their feathers 15–30% of the day; there is an oil produced in one of their glands which is spread over their feathers with help of its beak. Like we apply body lotion with our fingers.  

  7.Flamingos live in large groups known as "colonies." Some colonies have millions of birds,  and as mentioned above the pinkest = strongest. 

 In this part we covered what flamingos are all about.  In our next part in the series of Flamingoes we’ll explore how they effect our lives and  what they symbolize