Flamingos have been a bird of high interest in the last couple of months due to Hurricane Idalia blowing them into some unexpected habitats in the eastern parts of the United States. Some of the most interesting facts about these often pink Phoenicopteriformes are:
🦩They eat upside-down with their specially curved bills. (Chicks are born with straight bills!).
🦩Their pink coloration comes from carotenoids found in their diet of algae and brine shrimp.
🦩 They produce and secrete milk (like mammals) for their babies, and it’s bright red!
🦩 A gathering of flamingos is called a “ flamboyance”.
Though flamingos are overall a species of least concern, they experience challenges like most other bird species due to anthropogenic disturbances. Conservation efforts such as habitat preservation, protected areas, public education, and captive breeding programs all contribute to flamingos surviving and thriving.