Discover what is the feeding of the flamingo , a beautiful pink bird, admired for the elegance of its gait.
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These animals are beautiful birds with long legs, a pale pink color, and a thick beak that characterizes them.
These birds adapt very well in whatever habitat they are assigned, as long as there is flamingo food.
They can live very well, as long as the environment does not go to extremes.
As long as the environment is not extremely cold or hot, and there is flamingo feeding, and they can flap their wings, this will be enough for these birds.
They prefer to live in rather warm areas, but their adaptability to different environments is what has allowed them to survive for millions of years.
There are several places where flamingos live, such as the Andes Mountains and South America.
Many believe that these birds only live in places where plains predominate, but they also like mountainous areas.
In addition, these birds enjoy places with abundant water and mud.
For this reason it is common to find them in lagoons, muddy or swampy areas.
The water that these birds drink is highly alkaline in most of these lagoons.
Where the flamingos live, pink plankton-like creatures also live.
This same pigment is absorbed by these birds, and is what gives them their characteristic pale pink color.
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Contents
What is the feeding of the flamingo
Flamingos are filter feeders, which means that they take in water and food, and then expel it.
Their beak has a unique design, which allows them to consume the food in their diet.
Crustaceans, mollusks, seeds, and insects are part of the flamingo’s diet.
They also tend to consume various types of algae that they can get in the water.
The beak of these birds varies depending on the species, as does their food.
Flamingos stick their feet in the mud to get their food.
From the bottom they bring it to the surface, where they are devoured.
They also tend to make head movements, from front to back and from side to side, to collect the mixture of water and food.
Because their breathing is aerial, these birds have to hold their breath while they are searching for food underwater.
The time of resistance under water can vary from a few minutes to one hour.
After that, they take a quick breath and submerge their head again and again.
Although they perform this movement really fast, they are able to take a long breath.
Characteristics suitable for feeding
Flamingos have a tongue that works in a very interesting way.
Many scientists have compared this tongue to the pistons of a car engine.
It allows the birds to drink water and food at the same time, and then filter them.
When they do not find enough food at the surface, flamingos can swim deep.
These birds can also fly hundreds of kilometers in search of food.
Also when their lives are in danger, they often fly long distances for survival.
This is what has allowed them to evolve and adapt to new environments.
These birds, like most birds, need to drink fresh water.
They can regularly get it from boiling geysers.
They are able to drink this water at high temperatures, without causing too much damage to their internal organs.
In addition to this, flamingos have glands in their nostrils designed to remove excess salt from their bodies.
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Food in captivity
The diet of these birds is very different in captivity.
They must be offered the nutrients necessary not only to survive, but also to thrive.
Captive flamingos are fed pellets that provide them with the pigmentation that nature provides in their daily diet.
This is so that these birds do not lose the characteristic color of their plumage.
Main habitat of the flamingos
As mentioned above, these birds are capable of adapting to almost any location.
That is why they can be seen in zoos, or reserves, where they take care of them, and feed them.
Nowadays, their natural habitat has been significantly reduced due to industrialization.
Large companies use lakes and lagoons as dumping grounds for their waste.
This brings as a consequence, the reduction of the amount of food for these birds.
And therefore, the flamingos’ chances of survival.
An example of this happens in Tanzania, at Lake Natron.
There, flamingos are threatened by a factory that produces soda.
This factory, with its waste, has changed the salinity of the water in the lake, reducing the flamingos’ chances of feeding.
This has made it impossible for the flamingos to live in this part of Africa.
Other examples
In Kenya, in 1993, pesticides were used that encouraged the outbreak of bacteria near a lake.
This led to the death of twenty thousand flamingos.
A very considerable loss, taking into account the number of years that must pass before the colony can recover.
It is vitally important to be aware, to avoid this type of contamination.
Not only flamingos are affected, but also a great variety of endangered species.
Caring for the planet is the only way to be able to continue to count on these beautiful species.
Otherwise we will never be able to enjoy the beautiful colors that these marvelous birds offer us.
We can each do our part.
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God bless you.
