[ad_1]
Flamingos are bizarre birds. From their long and narrow legs to their bright pink plumage, they definitely stand out from other birds on the planet. But these unique qualities go hand in hand with the diet and feeding habits of this bird. Flamingos wouldn’t be what they are without their diet, and they couldn’t feed the way they could without their unique physiological quirks. Here’s everything you need to know about what flamingos eat.
What do flamingos eat?
Flamingos are omnivores that don’t miss out on meat or vegetarian options, but the diet of these birds can vary from species to species. There are six different species of flamingos, and their diet can be influenced by both the availability of food and the design of their bills. Deep-billed flamingos include the James Flamingos, Andean Flamingos, and Lesser Flamingos. Small-billed species include Chilean, Greater and Caribbean flamingos.
By necessity, deep keel species tend to be more vegetarian than their shallow keel counterparts. Plankton and algae make up the bulk of their diet. They are especially prone to eating blue-green algae known as cyanobacteria, which are high in nutrients and particularly rich in beta-carotene. In contrast, flamingo species with shallow keels tend to have a more carnivorous diet. It often takes the form of small invertebrates, insect larvae, small fish, and shrimp. Flamingos’ dietary habits are very similar, whether they are Old World or New World varieties, but they are different enough that multiple species can often occupy the same habitat without competing for lunch.
But flamingos won’t eat that kind of diet once they’re born. Instead, chickens are fed a substance known as plant milk, which their parents produce in the back of the throat and then vomit to their young. This is a high protein and fat diet designed to promote rapid growth in chicks. They will continue to feed this way until they are 9-13 weeks old, after which they will switch to the adult diet. It is at this point that flamingos begin to take on their signature pink hue – a side effect of beta-carotene, which is abundant in both blue algae and shrimp, which also feed on these algae.
Here is a list of foods that make up a typical flamingo diet:
- Blue-green algae (cyanobacteria)
- Red algae
- Invertebrates
- Small fish
- Insects
- Insect larva
- Shrimp in brine
How are flamingos fed for food?
Flamingos are filter feeders like baleen whales – which means they stick their beaks into shallow bodies of water and then push out water and dirt, accumulating nutrient solids inside the beak. The flamingo’s quick and powerful tongue repels any food that is too large or too small to be swallowed. What is left passes by a series of comb-like structures called lamellas, which filter water to hold food. This filtration process is incredibly fast, but the speed can vary depending on the type of flamingo. Smaller flamingos can pump water from their beak 20 times per second, while Caribbean flamingos can do the same about 4-5 times per second.
The shape of the beak affects both what flamingos eat and how they filter their food. Flamingos with deep-keeled jaws will stroke their beaks shallowly across the surface of the water, while those with shallow-keeled jaws will instead bury their beaks in deeper mud to excite potential prey. They can stomp their feet in the mud for the same effect. A typical flamingo will go through this filtration process for hours a day, but require surprisingly little food. Little flamingos only need about two ounces of feed per day. And while they feed in salt water, flamingos only drink fresh water. Unlike their low food intake, the typical flamingo will swallow gallons of fresh water every day.
What animals do flamingos eat?
Flamingos may seem like easy prey because of their bright pink plumage, but the habitat in which they choose to feed is actually one of the biggest obstacles to predators. Because their feeding grounds are in the water, they are inaccessible to many of the natural predators in their ecosystem for most of the year. In some cases, flamingos have even adapted to survive in an environment too harsh for a common predator. Lake Natron in Tanzania and Lake Bogoria in Kenya are toxic due to high salinity levels and can even burn human skin. It is only thanks to their long and scaly legs that they can survive in these waters, but they effectively ward off most predators.
But when the water level begins to drop, flamingos become more vulnerable to land-based predators. Big cats like cheetahs, lions, and leopards are known to target African flamingos, and while hyenas are a regular nuisance, they rarely pose a deadly threat. New World species can face threats from Jeffrey the cat, the Andean fox, and the jaguar. In some cases, flamingo species have even become prey for pythons and wild boars.
But the greatest threat to flamingos is usually other bird species. Adult flamingos are too large to be a reasonable target for most birds, but this is not the case for eggs and chicks. Storks and eagles feed on both species, and several vulture species are known to target live chicks as well as adult flamingo carcasses abandoned by other predators.
Are flamingos pink because they eat shrimp?
In a way, yes, but flamingos are pinker due to a certain type of plankton in their diet. The algae that flamingos eat is rich in beta-carotene, a chemical that causes their plumage to turn pink. Shrimp absorb this chemical when they eat plankton, and then transfer the chemicals to the flamingos when they eat them, but flamingos can also get their color by feeding directly on algae or fly larvae.
Next: what do eagles eat?
[ad_2]
Source link