Flamingo Facts
This week we are focussing on our pink friends, the Flamingos! In this blog, you can learn some cool flamingo facts and make yourself a feathered friend at home.
Birdland Park & Gardens are home to two species of Flamingo, with both living on the River Windrush which winds its way through the site. In the wild, there is a total of 6 Flamingo species which cover parts of Africa, Asia, America and Europe.
The Caribbean Flamingo is very distinctive with nearly scarlet features and an unusual shape in their beaks.
A flamingo gets its colouring due to their diet when they obtain carotenoid pigments. In captivity artificial pigments are added to their diet to enhance the colour during breeding season. It has been proved that colour is very important for display proposes as a catalyst to mating.
Birdland is also home to the Greater Flamingo which have much paler pink feathers compared with the Caribbean Flamingo.
Flamingos use their long legs to shuffle up the sediment which disturbs various crustaceans which they feed on. They then use their beaks to sieve the murky water to their food!
Flamingo Fun Facts
- Flamingos love tucking into algae, shrimps, molluscs and insect larvae.
- Flamingos have been known to man for thousands of years, and even worshipped at times.
- Flamingos live in groups, which can consist of over a million birds.
- Baby flamingos hatch in a nest mound made of mud
- When flamingos want to rest, they stand on one leg.
Flamingo Craft Ideas
Now it’s time for you to make your own Flamingo friends at home. Check out a few of these ideas to get your creative juices flowing. Be sure to tag us over on social media for any creations you make.
Get your pink paint at the ready for this handprint Flamingo!
Or share your Flamingo creation with friends with this card craft –
Now its time to sit back and relax whilst watching our Head Keeper feed the Flamingos, check out the video here and learn lots more about their fascinating birds.
