Chilean flamingo Phoenicopterus chilensis
Pink as far as the eye can see.
Why is the Chilean flamingo pink?
The Chilean flamingo in a nutshell
- eats
- brine shrimp, snails, algae, aquatic plants
- inhabits
- South America
- excels at
- group dancing
The Chilean flamingo is native to the Andes in South America, where they live in large flocks ranging from a few to tens of thousands of birds. These groups are also called flamboyances.
You are what you eat
The beautiful pink plumage of Chilean flamingos is due to carotenoids, natural pigments ranging from yellow to reddish in colour. They acquire these pigments by eating crustaceans, which have themselves acquired it by eating algae. During the digestive process, the carotenoids are stored in the flamingo’s feathers, beak and legs, turning them pink.
Crop milk
Carotenoids are also found in flamingos’ crop milk, which is an energy-rich liquid produced by the glands in the crop, which is a pouch near the throat. Crop milk serves as food for the chick, and both parents produce it. When they feed it to the chick, they receive less of the pigments themselves, causing their own feathers, bill and legs to turn white.
While the Chilean flamingo is not yet endangered, its population in the wild is expected to decline rapidly as a result of egg collecting, hunting, mining, disturbance and habitat loss.
Backwards knees?
Flamingos have very long legs that are sometimes longer than the rest of their body. Although they appear to have knees that bend backward, these are actually the ankles. The flamingo’s real knees are not visible, as they are concealed behind the wings.
Mating dance
At the start of the breeding season, flamingos perform a unique mating dance or courtship display. Thousands of flamingos simultaneously perform complex dances accompanied by loud honking. Once the flamingos have found a suitable mate during the courtship dance, the pair build a nest from clay and incubate one or two eggs together. Baby flamingos hatch out after about a month.
