flamingo, (order Phoenicopteriformes), any of six species of tall, pink wading birds with thick downturned bills. Flamingos have slender legs, long, graceful necks, large wings, and short tails. They range from about 90 to 150 cm (3 to 5 feet) tall. Flamingos are highly gregarious birds. Flocks numbering in the hundreds may be seen in long, curving flight formations and in wading groups along the shore. On some of East Africas large lakes, more than a million lesser flamingos (Phoeniconaias minor) gather during the breeding season. In flight, flamingos present a striking and beautiful sight, with legs and neck stretched …(100 of 532 words)
Behavior and ecology
As omnivores, flamingos filter-feed on a variety of organisms, including mollusks, crustaceans, brine shrimp, and tiny insects. Their bills are used specifically upside-down and are designed to extract mud and silt from the food they eat. The large, rough-surfaced tongue and the hairy structures called lamellae that line the mandibles help in the filtering of food items. Flamingos’ pink or reddish color is derived from carotenoids found in the plankton they eat, both plant and animal. Because they consume more beta carotene in their diet, American flamingos have a brighter red color, whereas lesser flamingos have a paler pink color because they consume less of this pigment. These carotenoids are broken down into pigments by liver enzymes. The source of this differs depending on the species and influences the saturation of color. Flamingos that only eat blue-green algae have darker pigmentation than those that obtain it indirectly by consuming animals that have ingested the algae. [40].
Despite their preference for freshwater, flamingos have glands beneath their eyes that eliminate excess salt from their bodies. This organ allows them to drink saltwater as well. [41].
Etymology Captive
Flamingo is derived from the Portuguese or Spanish word flamengo (“flame-colored”), which is derived from the Provençal word flamenc, which is a compound word made up of the words flama (“flame”) and the Germanic suffix -ing. Additionally, the Spanish ethnonym flamenco (meaning “Fleming” or “Flemish”) may have had an influence on the word. The term “Phoenicopterus” comes from the Greek word “phoinikopteros,” which means “light crimson/red-feathered);[3] Other names for this genera are Phoenicoparrus, which means “crimson/red bird (though, an unknown bird of omen)” and Phoeniconaias, which means “crimson/red water nymph (or naiad)”.
Any of six species of tall, pink wading birds with thick, downturned bills are known as flamingos (order Phoenicopteriformes). Flamingos have large wings, short tails, long, graceful necks, and slender legs. They are between three and five feet (3 and 90 centimeters) tall. Flamingos are highly gregarious birds. Hundreds-strong flocks can be observed flying in long, curved formations and wading alongside the shore. During the breeding season, over a million lesser flamingos (Phoeniconaias minor) congregate on some of the largest lakes in East Africa. Flamingos are a stunning and lovely sight when they’re in the air, their necks and legs extended. (100 of 532 words).
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