Today we'd like to discuss a term that describes two related species or populations that exist in the same area: sympatry. Sympatry can refer to almost any kind of species or populations, but for this discussion we will focus on examples that include birds.
Species that are sympatric live in the same habitat, encounter each other frequently, and may share breeding or feeding locations. Interbreeding between species may occur.
Three species of flamingo in South America are sympatric. The Andean Flamingo, Chilean Flamingo, and James's Flamingo can all be found across a similar range and are known to share nesting sites.
Sympatric species do not necessarily share resources in this mutually beneficial way. The Great Spotted Cuckoo and its parasitic host species the Eurasian Magie are also considered to be sympatric. Cuckoos are brood parasites to their neighbors the magpies.
Sympatry is one of four terms used to describe how species (or populations) relate to each other. Species that exist in adjacent locations are parapatric. Species that are separated can be either peripatric or allopatric.
Flamingos are known for being pink. To wrap up our first-ever Flamingo Week, we're sharing a couple of fun coloring pages featuring these iconic birds. Have fun coloring in these cartoon birds with different shades: carnation; blush; mauvelous; primrose; salmon; coral; fuschia; or roseate.
All of our coloring pages are free to download. Find more coloring pages for other species on our free coloring page downloads. And be sure to check out the color schemes for these and all of our birds by visiting the Meet the Birds section of our site.
Have you used our coloring pages at home, in your classroom, or at an event? We’d love to hear about it! Send us photos of the pages in action, or the final result – we may showcase them on our blog!
Flamingo Week continues today with some interesting flamingo extremes and odd facts about this family of pink birds.
Extremely Social Birds
Flamingos live in colonies that may number thousands of individuals. Breeding is also colonial, with birds typically separating into smaller groups of 7-25 pairs. Breeding follows synchronized dancing displays whicih are performed by both male and female birds.
The range of the James's, Chilean, and Andean Flamingo overlap in some areas. These social birds of different species will live in colonies together and even share nesting sites.
Popular In Plastic
In the United States, plastic pink flamingos are a famous kitschy lawn ornament. The decorations were first designed for the U.S. market in 1957. While some homeowners associations ban the plastic pinkies, the city of Madison, Wisconsin designated the plastic flamingo as the city's official bird in 2009.
Unique Feeding Adaptations
Flamingos are omnivores. They filter-feed on brine shrimp, blue-green algea, small insects, mollusks, and other small aquatic animals. Flamingo bills have a unique shape designed to filter feed, separating mud and silt from their food. The bill is used to filter in an upside-down position.
Another special filtering anatomical adaptation flamingos have is lamellae, hairy structures that line their beaks and tongues. Their long legs allow them to stand in water of varying depths, and their webbed feet are used to stir up silt in their search for food items.
Both male and female parent flamingos feed their young chicks a sort of crop "milk", a fat and protein-rich substance produced in upper digestive tract glands and expelled through the beak. This milk is not actually pink. It is similar to the pigeon milk fed to squabs by parent birds in the pigeon and dove family.
Old Flamingos
A Greater Flamingo resident at the Adelaide Zoo in Australia was believed to be at least 83 years old at the time of its death in 2014. That is considerably older than the known longevity record for a wild Greater Flamingo, which was at least 27 years and 6 months, recorded via a rediscovered living banded bird in France.
The longevity record for a wild American Flamingo is just over 13 years, determined via a banding program.
The Most Endangered Flamingo
The Andean Flamingo is considered to be Vulnerable to Extinction. A rapid population decline occured during the mid-1980s to the mid-1990s, reducing the global number of wild birds to less than 35,000. Today the population is considered to be stable.
The Most Abundant Flamingo
The Lesser Flamingo is the most abundant species of flamingo, yet it is considered to be Near Threatened due to threats including breeding site degredation.
Height Extremes
While all flamingos are considered to be relatively tall birds, the tallest of the bunch is the aptly named Greater Flamingo, reaching the greatest height at up to 59 inches tall (approximately 150 cm). The smallest is the also aptly named Lesser Flamingo, which may reach only 25 to 35 inches in height (approximately 63 to 89 cm).
If you think our Birdorable birds are cute as adults, what about when they are babies? Below are some baby photos (shared via Flickr Creative Commons) of the American Flamingo and Greater Flamingo.
The six species of flamingo have similar nesting habits. They all breed in colonies. Mating rituals involve synchronized dancing. The nest is a pillar or mound of mud. A single chalky-white egg is laid per nesting attempt. Chicks, grey when first hatched, are fed a protein- and fat-rich diet of crop milk by both parents. Baby flamingos leave the nest around 7-12 days after hatching. Young birds gather in a group, called a creche, to evade predation as they grow.
Flamingos do well in captivity and breed if colony conditions are favorable, which include number of birds of breeding age and ratio of males to females. All of the example baby flamingo photos shared below were taken in zoological parks.
Because of their large size and flashy colors, flamingos capture the imagination of bird lovers and wildlife observers. And because some of the species in this family are facing threats to their survival, flamingos are often featured in the news. Here are some stories featuring these big pink beauties in the past few months.
WISTV – September 13, 2018 A zoo in the path of Hurricane Florence prepares for the coming storm by moving flamingos to indoor enclosures for safety. See video of the pink birds as they get ready to hunker down at the Columbia, South Carolina zoo.
EurekAlert – September 7, 2018 Learn about how flamingos in zoos spend their time after visitors have gone for the day in this scientific study press release.
The New York Times – August 11, 2018 For the first time in 15 years, Andean Flamingos are breeding in a wildlife reserve in Britain. Read about the work the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust is Slimbridge is doing to help endangered species of flamingo.
LiveScience – June 28, 2018 A Greater Flamingo that escaped a Kansas zoo in 2005 is living life as a free bird in Texas. Read about the Old World flamingo's life in the New World.
Audubon.org – Spring 2018 Read about the comeback of the American Flamingo in the Bahamas, in part thanks to the preservation of habitat in Great Inagua National Park. This article includes some fabulous photographs of the species in wild habitats.
First up is our brand new I Love Flamingos t-shirt, featuring a cartoon American Flamingo standing where the heart or word love should be. The letter I in Flamingos is dotted with a tiny heart to emphasize the flamingo love!
Next up is another shirt featuring the American Flamingo. This species is the official bird of the Bahamas. The design has the flamingo standing before the flag of the Bahamas.
Finally, Flamboyance made its debut a few months ago. This shirt features all of the flamingo species in the world in a mixed flock. The collective noun for flamingo is -- you guessed it -- Flamboyance.
We're celebrating flamingos this week! Let's learn about these pink beauties -- here are some frequently asked questions about flamingos.
Why do flamingos stand on one leg?
The true reason that flamingos often stand one leg has long been debated. One popular theory is that a bird can conserve body temperature by tucking one leg into its feathers while standing in water, which may pull heat away from the body. Another theory has to do with the fact that flamingos are able to "shut down" half of their brain so they can both rest and remain vigilant for predators at the same time. The tucked-in leg is a kind of natural reaction to this state of partial sleep.
Greater Flamingo
Why are flamingos pink?
Flamingos hatch out of the egg grey, not pink. As they grow, they develop a pink plumage which is the result of natural pink pigments found in the food they eat. The pink or reddish plumage comes from carotenoids in the diet of both animals and plant plankton. The brightness of a bird's plumage relates to diet and the ratio of algae (darker/more pink plumage) consumed compared to small animals (more pale plumage).
Where do flamingos live?
Of the six flamingo species, 4 live in the New World and 2 are found in the Old World.
The American Flamingo is the only species naturally occurring in North America. They are mostly found in the Caribbean, Central America, and along the northeastern coast of South America. There is a population on the Galapagos as well.
Chilean Flamingos are found along the western side of much of South America. Andean and James's Flamingos have a smaller range near the western coast along the Andes mountains.
Of the Old World flamingos, the Lesser is found in coastal and wetland habitats across sub-Saharan Africa, with a separate population in western India. The Greater Flamingo is found around sub-Saharan Africa as well as in coastal habitats in parts of the Middle East, southwestern Asia, and southern Europe.
What is the meaning of the name "flamingo"?
The word flamingo is derived from the Portuguese flamengo or the Spanish flamenco, which means "flame-colored". The origin of the word comes from the old idea that Flemish people had a ruddy or reddish complexion.
Do flamingos migrate?
Most flamingo species will migrate short distances during the year depending on availability of food and conditions of feeding grounds. Flooded habitat may be too deep for feeding; drought conditions may cause flamingos to move to a more favorable location for a season or longer.
How can you tell the different flamingo species apart?
Flamingos all have the same general body shape, unique beak formation, long legs, and pink or pinkish plumage. How can you tell them apart? Pay attention to their size, and the color of the bill and the legs. Here are some simple tips.
The Greater Flamingo was the first added to Birdorable, back in 2008. Earlier this year we added the other five species. Tune in to the blog in the coming days to learn more about these pink cuties!
The Greater Flamingo, now the 153rd bird featured on Birdorable, is not just another pretty face in the bird kingdom. This species, with its iconic pink hue and elegant stature, spans across Africa, southern Europe, and southern Asia, offering a splash of color and uniqueness wherever it's found. Greater Flamingos are social birds, often seen in large flocks that can number in the thousands, wading through shallow waters in search of food. Their feeding technique is as fascinating as their appearance; these birds stir the mud with their feet and then, in a head-down position, suction up a mix of mud and water to filter out their meal using their distinctive large beaks.
What truly sets the Greater Flamingo apart, aside from its sociable nature and feeding habits, is its vibrant pink coloring. This striking shade is not an inherent trait but rather a result of their diet, which is rich in carotenoid pigments found in algae, crustaceans, and, notably, pink shrimps. These pigments are absorbed by the flamingos, giving them their famous pink color. It's an interesting fact that in captivity, without a diet supplemented with these natural pigments, flamingos will gradually lose their pink coloration, becoming paler. This dietary influence on their coloration is a remarkable aspect of their biology, illustrating the direct impact of nutrition on the appearance of animals.
From birth, Greater Flamingo chicks are a stark contrast to their adult counterparts. They emerge from their eggs with white and gray feathers and a straight bill, far from the pink plumes and curved beak they will eventually grow into. It takes about two years for them to develop their pink feathers and fully curved beaks, a transformation that is nothing short of magical. Watching a flamingo chick grow into its iconic adult form is a journey through one of nature's most fascinating maturation processes.
Greater Flamingo in the Camargue, France by A S (CC BY 2.0 DEED)
Greater Flamingos are not just a wonder of nature in terms of their appearance and lifecycle. They are also among the bird species with a notably long lifespan. In the wild, these birds can live up to 30 years, a respectable age for any wild animal. The record for the oldest known Greater Flamingo was held by an individual known as "Greater," also referred to as Flamingo One or Flamingo 1, who resided at the Adelaide Zoo in Australia. Greater passed away on January 30, 2014, and was estimated to be between 83 and 95 years old at the time of death, having arrived at the zoo as a full-grown adult from either Cairo or Hamburg in one of the last four importations of greater flamingos to the zoo between 1919 and 1933. Here is a video of Greater from 2008:
From their group feeding rituals in shallow waters to the incredible transformation from grey and white chicks to stunning pink adults, Greater Flamingos embody the marvels of the avian world. Their story is a blend of natural beauty, ecological adaptation, and the sheer wonder of biological development, making the Greater Flamingo a bird worth celebrating and conserving for future generations to marvel at.
Greater Flamingoes on their nests by Susan Robinson (public domain)
