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Animals · Extraordinary birds

Flamingo

Phoenicopterus roseus

Not born pink, food gives it color

A flamingo in shallow water filters mud with its curved beak held upside down.
A flamingo in shallow water filters mud with its curved beak held upside down.
  • Status: Safe
  • Wetlands of Africa, the Middle East, southern Asia, and southern Europe

Numbers

Weight
7 lb4 to 9 lb; some males reach 10 lb
Length
49 in47 to 57 in
Height
5 ftaverage 3.5 to 5 ft; some males up to 6 ft
Lifespan
35 years30 to 40 years in the wild; over 60 in captivity
Wingspan
8 ftWikidata reports 5.4 ft instead, contrasting with the material
Maximum known age
83 yearsspecimen named Greater, Adelaide Zoo; estimated minimum age
Eggs per clutch
1 egga single clutch, cared for by both parents

Ten fun facts

  1. chicks are born gray, and pink color arrives only through food rich in carotenoid pigments.

  2. during breeding season it spreads uropygial gland secretions on its feathers, which researchers call makeup.

  3. adults feeding chicks grow paler, but their legs remain bright pink throughout the entire process.

  4. the upper jaw is not rigidly attached to the skull and can move, helping it eat upside down.

  5. both parents produce red crop milk containing fats, proteins, and both red and white blood cells.

  6. the oldest known individual, named Greater, died at the Adelaide Zoo at at least eighty-three years old.

  7. some zoos use mirrors to make flamingos think they are in a larger flock and encourage breeding.

  8. about half of the predation on eggs and chicks is caused by a single species, the yellow-legged gull.

  9. the northernmost nesting site is Zwillbrocker Venn in western Germany, close to the Dutch border.

  10. in Italy it nests regularly in Emilia-Romagna, Apulia, Sardinia, Sicily, and since 2021 in the Chioggia lagoon.

The quiz answers

The first one is the question printed in your book: here is the answer. The other four are extra.

Question 1 of 5★ this one is in your book

Where does the pink color of the flamingo come from?

Question 2 of 5

How does the flamingo eat?

Question 3 of 5

How many eggs does a female lay per clutch?

Question 4 of 5

Why does the flamingo stand on one leg?

Question 5 of 5

What do parents feed their chick?

Try it yourself

Experiment 1

Try standing on one leg and time how long you last: a flamingo holds that position even while sleeping, without any muscle effort.

Experiment 2

Measure eight feet on the floor with a soft tape measure: that is the impressive wingspan of an adult flamingo.

Experiment 3

Filter muddy water with a fine mesh strainer and see what stays behind: it works on the same principle as the beak plates.

Data from Wikidata (Q179863) and Wikipedia (Greater flamingo).