These pigments are broken down in the liver and are then then deposited into the feathers, skin, and egg yolk of the flamingo. Some of the food the flamingo eats contains carotenoid pigments. The flamingo's color is partly determined by its diet. The American flamingo lives in mudflats and shallow coastal lagoons with salt water.ĭiet The American flamingo uses its feet to stir up the mud, then it sucks water through its bill and filters out small shrimp, seeds, blue-green algae, microscopic organisms, and mollusks. It is the only flamingo species found in North America. The American flamingo was once considered to be the same species as the greater flamingo ( Phoenicopterus roseus) found in Africa, Asia and parts of southern Europe, but is is now considered a separate species. The American flamingo doesn't breed in the United States. It is also occasionally seen in Florida and along the Gulf Coast as a vagrant. The flamingo's long neck and legs also help it to feed in deep water and its webbed feet help it stand on mud.Ĭentral and South America and the Caribbean. It also has bristles on its tongue that help it filter food out of the water. The flamingo has two rows of lamallae or comb-like bristles that line the inside of its bill. The flamingo is a filter feeder and it is uniquely adapted for feeding. Males and females look alike, although the male is a little larger. It has a large hooked bill with a black tip that is curved down. It has a very long neck, long pink legs and webbed pink feet with three toes. The American flamingo has and pink feathers and black-tipped wings. The American flamingo is about 42 inches tall and has a wingspan of about five feet. ICUN Redlist - World Status: Least Concern
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |