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Flamingos or flamingoes[1] /fləˈmɪŋɡoʊz/ are a type of wading bird in the family Phoenicopteridae, the only bird family in the order Phoenicopteriformes. Four flamingo species are distributed throughout the Americas, including the Caribbean, and two species are native to Africa, Asia, and Europe.
The name "flamingo" comes from Portuguese or Spanish flamengo, "flame-colored", in turn coming from Provençal flamenc from flama "flame" and Germanic-like suffix -ing, with a possible influence of words like "Fleming". A similar etymology has the Latinate Greek term phoenicopterus (from Greek: φοινικόπτερος phoinikopteros), literally "blood red-feathered"
Flamingos filter-feed on brine shrimp and blue-green algae as well as larva, small insects, mollusks and crustaceans making them omnivores. Their bills are specially adapted to separate mud and silt from the food they eat, and are uniquely used upside-down. The filtering of food items is assisted by hairy structures called lamellae, which line the mandibles, and the large, rough-surfaced tongue. The pink or reddish color of flamingos comes from carotenoids in their diet of animal and plant plankton. American flamingos are a brighter red color because of the beta carotene availability in their food while the lesser flamingos are a paler pink due to ingesting a smaller amount of this pigment (39). These carotenoids are broken down into pigments by liver enzymes.[22] The source of this varies by species, and affects the saturation of color. Flamingos whose sole diet is blue-green algae are darker in color compared to those which get it second-hand (e.g. from animals that have digested blue-green algae)
One flamingo cleans itself while others grab a nap with there heads stuck in there feathers. The plumage is really striking
A flamingo resting with one eye on me at the San Diego Zoo. Such odd and yet elegant creatures. I used to enjoy a visit to the zoo very much when I was younger. As I age I find it more difficult to enjoy. I know I would rather be free.
The distinctive pink flamingo color develops thanks to their selective diet, which primarily consists of organisms — such as shrimp and algae
It was like a dance
each flamingo moving slowly
with each little wave they create
as the sun was on fire that day
with glowing eyes that make you stare back
Jaimie Wylie Photography
Canon EOS 7D Mark II
Instagram: jaimariediary