Flamingos often gather in large flocks to forage, live in shallow water, have feather color depending on daily food.
Flamingos are wading birds in the family Phoenicopteridae, order Phoenicopteriformes. Pictured is a flock of flamingos in the Yucatán peninsula, Mexico, gathered in one place and showing off their best performances to attract the audience.
Flamingos are considered one of the loyal animals. Birds in the same flock will move together when facing threats. When a research plane approached the flamingo colony in Sisal, Mexico, the birds moved together to a safer place without dispersing individually.
When born, flamingos have white plumage. The color of the flamingo’s feathers is later formed by the food source where they live, which can vary from pale pink, orange pink or crimson. Pigments found in marine shrimp in the Yucatan, where these flamingos live, give their plumage the color of coral reefs.
A pair of flamingos are using their beaks to feed a baby bird. This is also where the parent pair greets the eggs that are about to hatch. When the eggs hatch, the chicks are fed with a fat- and protein-rich milk produced in the parent’s intestinal tract.
When the chicks are a little older, the parent flamingos will leave them in the care of other adult birds to feed and feed, then return to feed them in the evening. Despite being watched over by larger birds, young birds are still vulnerable to threats from other animals.
Flamingos wake up before dawn, go in large flocks to find food. Flocks of flamingos can travel hundreds of kilometers in search of food.
A Caribbean flamingo prepares to take off from shallow water in the Lagartos River, Mexico. Flamingos are considered adept “pilots” whether flying alone or in groups.
In the evening, flamingos leave their feeding grounds and fly back to their nests. The flamingos will spend their evenings resting in shallow waters.
