Student Article
Flamingo Guide: How to Identify Each Species, Where to See Them — and Why Flamingos are Pink
Carotenoids (noun): Organic pigments found in plants and some animal diets that influence coloration.
Gregarious (adjective): Fond of company; sociable, often forming large groups. Meteorological (adjective): Related to the atmosphere or weather and its phenomena.
Crop milk (noun): A nutrient-rich fluid produced in the digestive tract of some birds to nourish chicks.
Dominance (noun): A state of power or influence over others, often used to describe social hierarchies in animals.
Flamingos: The science behind their color, calls, and colony life.
Where in the world are flamingos?
Flamingos are among the most recognizable birds in the world, famous for their bright pink plumage, stilt-like legs, and synchronized group behavior. There are six known species, distributed across regions in Africa, South America, the Caribbean, and parts of Asia and Europe. They typically inhabit saline wetlands such as lagoons, mudflats, and high-altitude lakes.
What makes flamingos pink?
Contrary to popular belief, flamingos are not born pink. Hatchlings emerge with gray feathers, and it is only through their diet that they acquire their signature hue. The coloration comes from carotenoids, naturally occurring pigments in algae and tiny crustaceans like shrimp. These compounds are broken down during digestion and deposited into the flamingo’s skin and feathers. Individuals with the brightest coloration are often the healthiest and tend to rank higher in the group’s social structure.
Life in the flock
Flamingos are highly gregarious, living in flocks that can number in the thousands. Communication plays a vital role in their colonies, with a variety of honks, growls, and nasal calls used for coordination, courtship, and chick-rearing. Scientists have observed that flamingos can anticipate environmental changes, such as rainfall, and tend to migrate or gather in specific areas just before storms — though the exact mechanism of this meteorological sensitivity is still being studied.
Raising a chick the flamingo way
Nesting behavior is equally fascinating. Both male and female flamingos participate in building tall, cone-shaped nests out of mud, where a single egg is laid. Once the chick hatches, both parents feed it with crop milk, a red or pink secretion rich in fat and protein. This unusual substance is produced in the upper digestive tract and is critical to chick survival during the early weeks of life.
The long life of flamingos
Social hierarchy in flamingo colonies is enforced through subtle yet persistent physical cues. Birds will engage in light shoving or bill-pointing to assert dominance. Over time, such interactions help establish leadership within the flock. While many flamingos live into their 30s or 40s in the wild, those in captivity can live even longer. The oldest known flamingo on record lived to age 83 in an Australian zoo.
Flamingos represent a unique convergence of biology, ecology, and behavior — making them not only a visual marvel but also a subject of enduring scientific interest.
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Carotenoids (noun): Organic pigments found in plants and some animal diets that influence coloration.
Gregarious (adjective): Fond of company; sociable, often forming large groups. Meteorological (adjective): Related to the atmosphere or weather and its phenomena.
Crop milk (noun): A nutrient-rich fluid produced in the digestive tract of some birds to nourish chicks.
Dominance (noun): A state of power or influence over others, often used to describe social hierarchies in animals.