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Animals from A-Z

Flamingo

(engl: Flamingo)

You are what you eat 

They are considered the largest flamingo species. When it comes to flamingos, their food is responsible for the colour of their feathers. Crustaceans and algae contain the dye carotin. This is absorbed by eating and dyes the plumage a reddish colour.

When parents turn pale ... 

Flamingos are social creatures and breed in colonies. Each pair builds a conical nest of mud. Their clutch is limited to a single egg. The parents feed their offspring with a predigested puree. This contains a lot of carotin which causes adult birds to fade while they are rearing their young.

Roter Flamingo, Foto: Tom Burger
Roter Flamingo, Foto: Tom Burger
Scientific Surname Phoenicopterus
Order Flamingos
Family Flamingos
Size till 145 cm
Weight till 3 kg
Reproduction breeding period: 30 days, 1 egg
Distribution Mexico, northern South America, Caribbean Islands
Habitat shore
Food Crabs, Insects, Seaweeds
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