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The American flamingo is considered one of 4 flamingo species discovered within the Americas, and the one flamingo discovered within the USA, the place it inhabits coastal and wetland habitats in Southern Florida.
Learn on for an entire information to this distinctive species…
What Is An American Flamingo?
The American flamingo (Phoenicopterus ruber) is considered one of six species of flamingo, wading birds recognized for his or her placing pink plumage, lengthy neck and legs, curved beaks, and “upside-down” filter-feeding conduct.
Native to the Caribbean, components of Central and South America and Southern Florida, the American flamingo is the one flamingo species naturally current in North America.
The species inhabits salty lagoons and shallow coastal waters, the place it feeds totally on algae, crustaceans, and different small organisms.
The American flamingo’s distinctive pink coloring is a results of its weight-reduction plan; the carotenoid pigments within the crustaceans and algae eaten by the chook are damaged down and deposited in its feathers and pores and skin.
A extremely social species, the American flamingo lives in flocks that may comprise hundreds of people.
American Flamingo Stats
- Scientific Title: Phoenicopterus ruber
- Different Names: Caribbean Flamingo
- Order: Phoenicopteriformes
- Household: Phoenicopteridae
- Peak: 1.1 to 1.5 meters (3.6 to 4.9 toes)
- Wingspan: 1.4 to 1.65 meters (4.6 to five.4 toes)
- Weight: 2 to three.6 kg (4.4 to eight lb)
- The place discovered: Caribbean, components of Central and South America, southern Florida
- IUCN conservation standing (as of August 2023): Least Concern
Bodily Description
The American flamingo is a tall, elegant chook with placing pink plumage that varies in depth from pale rose to vivid coral. Its lengthy neck helps a proportionally small head with a downward-curving, pale invoice that’s pink on the base and black on the tip.
The chook’s slender legs are pink, and finish in webbed toes. Its eyes are encased in a yellow ring.
The American flamingo’s black flight feathers are largely hidden when the chook shouldn’t be in flight, however are clearly seen when the wings are open, showing as a thick black band alongside the again fringe of the wing.
(Flight feathers are the lengthy, specialised feathers on the outer a part of a chook’s wing that present carry and thrust.)
When in flight, the flamingo’s legs path behind the physique, extending past the size of its tail.
American Flamingo Name
The decision of the American flamingo is usually described as a goose-like honking, which is resonant and will be fairly loud.
The place Are American Flamingos Discovered?
The American flamingo predominantly occupies the Caribbean area, the place it may be present in quite a few islands and coastal areas. International locations such because the Bahamas, Cuba, and the Turks and Caicos Islands are among the many species’ prime habitats.
The American flamingo additionally inhabits areas of Central America, particularly alongside the northern coasts of the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico and the coastal areas of Belize. In South America, the species’ vary consists of coastal areas of Colombia and Venezuela, components of Brazil, and the Galápagos Islands.
Sometimes, particularly throughout breeding season or on account of disruptions in its main habitats, the American flamingo is likely to be noticed within the southernmost components of Florida within the U.S., making it the one flamingo species discovered naturally in North America. The species is current within the Everglades and the Florida Keys.
Habitats most popular by the American flamingo embrace salty lagoons, mudflats, shallow coastal waters, and salt flats. In addition to being wealthy in vitamins, these habitats additionally supply a comparatively low risk from predators, and their saline or hyper-saline situations cut back competitors from different wading birds.
Meals availability is a major issue within the American flamingo’s selection of dwelling; if there are inadequate assets, the flamingo will transfer to a different space.
American Flamingo Food regimen & Feeding
The American flamingo is an omnivore that primarily feeds on algae, crustaceans (together with brine shrimp), seeds, and different small aquatic organisms akin to mollusks, fish, and bugs.
Like all flamingos, the American flamingo’s beak is customized for filter feeding. Lamellae (comb-like constructions) current within the invoice sieve tiny organisms out of the water. Whereas feeding, the flamingo turns its head the wrong way up within the water, shifting it aspect to aspect to assemble and filter meals.
The carotenoid pigments present in most of the organisms eaten by the flamingo, notably brine shrimp and blue-green algae, are accountable for giving the chook its distinctive pink hue.
American Flamingo Household And Associated Species
The American flamingo is considered one of six flamingo species, and one of many 4 flamingos current within the Americas. Collectively, the six flamingos make up the household Phoenicopteridae, which is the one extant household of order Phoenicopteriformes.
The six flamingo species are listed beneath, along with their scientific identify, vary, and conservation standing (as of August 2023).
- Better Flamingo (Phoenicopterus roseus), The place Discovered: Africa, southern Europe, and components of Asia, Conservation Standing: Least Concern
- Lesser Flamingo (Phoeniconaias minor), The place Discovered: Sub-Saharan Africa and components of India, Conservation Standing: Close to Threatened
- Chilean Flamingo (Phoenicopterus chilensis), The place Discovered: South America, particularly in Chile, Argentina, and Bolivia, Conservation Standing: Close to Threatened
- James’s Flamingo (Phoenicoparrus jamesi) (also referred to as the Puna Flamingo), The place Discovered: Excessive-altitude areas of Peru, Chile, Bolivia, and Argentina, Conservation Standing: Close to Threatened
- Andean Flamingo (Phoenicoparrus andinus), The place Discovered: Excessive-altitude areas of Peru, Chile, Bolivia, and Argentina, Conservation Standing: Weak
- American Flamingo (Phoenicopterus ruber) (also referred to as the Caribbean Flamingo), The place Discovered: Caribbean, components of Central and South America, Southern Florida, Conservation Standing: Least Concern
American Flamingo Life Cycle
Breeding depends on rainfall, which ensures that sufficient meals is obtainable for rising chicks.
The American flamingo is thought for its elaborate courtship show, which consists of synchronized strolling, head-turning and bobbing, wing opening, and preening, usually carried out by massive numbers of people on the similar time.
Mating takes place after the show has been carried out to the satisfaction of each companions. The feminine American flamingo lays a single chalky white egg on a mud mound, which each mother and father take turns incubating. This incubation interval sometimes lasts between 28 to 32 days.
The freshly-hatched chick has a straight invoice, which is able to develop its attribute curve because the chook matures. The chick is roofed in a grey or white down and is totally depending on its mother and father for meals.
The flamingo’s attribute pink shade solely seems after two to 3 years because of a weight-reduction plan wealthy in carotenoids.
For the primary few days after hatching, the chick is fed a nutrient-rich secretion often called “crop milk,” which is produced by each mother and father. The milk comprises fat, proteins, and different important vitamins that assist the chook develop quickly throughout its preliminary days.
As soon as capable of stroll, the chick will depart the instant care of its mother and father and be a part of a creche, consisting of all of a flock’s younger. People proceed to be fed by their mother and father.
Because the chick grows, its down feathers start to get replaced by juvenile feathers. At about 10 to 12 weeks, the toddler flamingo is able to flight.
The American flamingo reaches sexual maturity at round 3 to five years of age.
American Flamingo Lifespan
The lifespan of the American flamingo is as much as 40 years, though, the typical lifespan tends to be shorter on account of predation and different pure threats.
Is The American Flamingo Endangered?
The American flamingo shouldn’t be an endangered species; its present IUCN conservation standing is Least Concern.
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