The pink flamingo is pretty iconic. And if you live in Florida, you will see this bird all over the place. (Well, not the real thing. Just plastic replicas) Yes, even The Magic Zoo has a collection of pink flamingo jewelry. After all, I am located in Florida!
Long ago there was a small breeding population of pink flamingos in Florida, but not any longer.
Any living pink flamingos you in Florida now are most likely escapees from a captive wildfowl collection somewhere. And sometimes they are seen in the Everglades, but they are most likely stragglers from the current Yucatan population of flamingos.
There are bright pink waterfowl in Florida, but these are spoonbills, not pink flamingos. But they are pretty cool! I see them sometimes on a quick walk from my house to the bay.
Where can you find wild flamingos today?
In mangrove Swamps and also in sandy islands that are above the low tide mark.
And in these locations:
- Europe
- South America
- Africa
- Central America
- Asia
- North America (just not those breeding populations)
I must say these birds adapt well to different sorts of environments. In fact, some live in hot volcanic lakes while others prefer the icy waters of mountain lakes in the Andes!
There are six different species of flamingo, and they range in size from 3 feet to over 4 feet high. But like all wild birds, they are extremely light weight. Even the tallest flamingos only weigh 9 pounds!
Why are they pink anyway?
Well, the pink flamingo gets it’s color from the food it consumes. (By the way, they eat upside down and backwards. Watch one eat sometime (maybe on YouTube) They dip that amazing bill ion the water, suck in water and food from the front, and mud and water drains out from the back of their bill.
Next to eating, they spend a lot of time preening. Got to keep those lovely pink feathers looking good! There is a gland near the base of their tail that produces an oil they run through their feathers with their bill.
Are they fast fliers?
As a member of a non-flying species, I am easily impressed. But they do fly up to 37 miles per hour. And like an airplane, they get their speed up before going airborne. By running, of course. Andy they can fly for 300 miles to get to a new landing spot.
Are pink flamingos good parents?
Yes, they are as good a parents as they are beautiful birds. Or something like that. Anyway, both parents build the nest and incubate the egg. And when junior is about to hatch, the parents converse about it in their own flamingo tongue, uttering parental bird sounds of encouragement. They have even been known to peck at the egg to help things along.
And flamingos are pretty social, at least among themselves. Like someone once said “it takes a village to raise a child.” Well, whether or not that is true for people, it’s certainly holds true for flamingos. They live in large colonies and won’t nest unless others of their kind are around.
And when the little ones are old enough, they join flamingo day care, and are looked after as a group.
A few other fun pink flamingo facts:
They are pretty long-lived, as birds go. (between 20 and 30 years)
Adult flamingos don’t have many predators
They rest on line leg. Now that takes balance and skill!
Have you ever seen a flamingo up close? Tell me about your pink flamingo experience!