Flamingos

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The flamingos (Phoenicopteridae) are the only family within the order of Phoenicopteriformes. They are found in South, Central and North America as well as Europe, Africa and Southwest Asia. The only representative of the order whose natural range extends to Europe is the Rosaflamingo. It is found on the Atlantic coast of Spain and Portugal, along the coast of the Mediterranean and on some Mediterranean islands.

Different views in science lead to a classification of flamingos into five or six species. Their common features are the more or less intense pink plumage and the highly specialized beak and tongue apparatus. The relative classification of the flamingos was unexplained for a long time until they were recognized by investigations in the 2000s as a sister group of lobe divers.

Features
All flamingo species are very similar to each other. They have long, thin legs, a long neck and a pink plumage. Standing upright, flamingos are 90 to 155 cm high. The sex dimorphism is low, the sexes are the same colored, but males are on average slightly larger than females. Relative to body size, their neck and legs are longer than any other birds. measured by the length of the neck, the number of cervical vertebrae is not above average at 17; For example, swans are 25. The head is very small in relation to body size, as are the feet; in the case of pink, Chile and dwarf flamengo, the first toe points backwards and the remaining three forwards (anisodactyl), the Andean and James flamengoes the first toe (tridactyl) is missing. The forward-facing toes are connected by floating skins.

The pink coloration of plumage is due to the intake of carotenoids with food. These are mainly contained in planktonic algae. The flamingo organism can convert these carotenoids with the help of enzymes in the liver; This produces several pigments, in particular canthaxanthin, which is incorporated into the skin and feathers of adult flamingos. Young birds have a grey plumage with no or few pink pigments. Similarly, the unnatural diet of zoo flamingos causes them to have a rather white plumage.

Another characteristic of the flamingos is the downward beak, with which they filter – with the top down – plankton from the water or mud. The beak edges are set with fine lamellae, together with the tongue they form a filter apparatus that performs a similar function to the beards of the baleen whales.

Flamingos are good swimmers, but do not use this ability often. Their long legs also allow them to wade at greater depths. In flight, they keep the neck stretched, the wings are beaten quickly and regularly; Gliding phases are rare. You reach flight speeds of 50 b