Flamingo (phoenicopterus phoenicopterus)
Flamingos live in tropical and subtropical parts of South America, Africa and Europe. Their habit of standing on one leg is thought to help maintain body temperature. Surprisingly adaptable, they are not only able to live in hot volcanic lakes, but icy ones high up in the Andes.
There are six species, two of which are considered near threatened and another vulnerable. While there are 5 million in the wild, worldwide there are thought to be fewer than 30 nesting sites. Apart from human interference and habitat loss, they also have to contend with predation from jackals and eagles.
Their diet consists mainly of brine shrimp and blue-green algae, which they filter from mud and silt by means of upturned beaks. It is this food, together with bacteria in the water, which gives them their pink colouration.
Flamingo (phoenicopterus phoenicopterus)
Flamingos live in tropical and subtropical parts of South America, Africa and Europe. Their habit of standing on one leg is thought to help maintain body temperature. Surprisingly adaptable, they are not only able to live in hot volcanic lakes, but icy ones high up in the Andes.
There are six species, two of which are considered near threatened and another vulnerable. While there are 5 million in the wild, worldwide there are thought to be fewer than 30 nesting sites. Apart from human interference and habitat loss, they also have to contend with predation from jackals and eagles.
Their diet consists mainly of brine shrimp and blue-green algae, which they filter from mud and silt by means of upturned beaks. It is this food, together with bacteria in the water, which gives them their pink colouration.