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Greater flamingo

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Hàbitat Natural
Location in the zoo

Escolta'l

Geographic distribution:

South Europe, some regions of Africa and a good part of the Near East

Scientific name:
- Phoenicopterus roseus
Taxonomy:
- Class: Birds
- Order: Phoenicopteriformes
- Family: Phoenicopteridae
Biology:
- Area of origin: Africa, Asia, Europe
- Habitat: Marsh
- Social life: Gregarious
- Food: Filtering food

Rating:
- Birds
Physical Characteristics:
- Longevity: up to 50 years
- Weight at birth:
- Middleweight: 1,9-4,1 kg
- Length: 120-150 cm
Reproduction
- Reproduction: Oviparous
- Incubation: 27-31 days
- Number of eggs: 1, rarely 2

Risk level of the species

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Red list: Scale according to the situation of the species IUCN

Description

The common flamingo is an elegant and pretty bird with an unmistakable appearance, which lives in salt lagoons and sea inlets in southern Europe, some regions of Africa and a good part of the Near East. Indeed, the long legs that end in webbed feet, the flexible long and curved neck, its pink colour and strange shape of its bill all make it tough to confuse with any other species.
Males and females are similar, while the young have brownish plumage that doesn't totally disappear until they reach maturity. The pink colour of adults varies in intensity depending on what they eat and tends to become even brighter with the passing of the years.
The bill is an excellent device for filter feeding. In shallow waters, the flamingo picks up mud from the bottom, making swinging movements with its head and feet and, in parallel, fills its bill with mud, which is mixed with small aquatic invertebrates that remain in its mouth after expelling the water with its tongue. It does this at a pace of three or four suctions and expulsions per second.
Flamingos are social birds that breed in colonies that are frequently extremely large. The nest is a mud tower some 30 cm high, with a slight depression at the top, where the female lays the single egg that remains protected from changes in water levels in the salt marshes where it lives. Both parents actively participate in the incubation and care of the offspring.
This species shrunk significantly during the second half of the last century, although its populations have recovered notably in recent decades thanks to the protection of their breeding areas.
In Catalonia, flamingos can be spotted all along the coast, although they are only present year-round in the Delta de Ebre, where they frequently breed, and the swamps of Empordà.

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