Lesser Flamingo – Phoenicopterus minor

The Lesser Flamingo is the smallest of the Flamingos and they outnumber all the other Flamingos, it is estimated that there are about 5 million of them throughout the world. They are also the most common Flamingos in captivity due to their ability to adapt well in that situation and can live peacefully alongside other types of Flamingos. These Flamingos grow to around 3 feet tall and only weight about 4 pounds, they are fully grown when they reach 2 years of age, and also the males are usually taller than the female. A feature these Flamingos have is the black tip to their bill which is designed to allow them to bend their head backwards and to feed through a filtering system, they feed for around 20% of their day and their diet consists of blue and green algae, crustaceans and a variety of small insects. They are very noisy birds and some colonies have thousands of birds, and an amazing fact is that wherever they are they can recognise the sound of their young. They are excellent swimmers and can fly for long distances in a V formation. When they make their nests they make them quite high off the ground to hopefully keep their nest and eggs safe in case of flooding.

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