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American Flamingo

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American Flamingo, Galapagos
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Overview

The American Flamingo is a wading bird, its name deriving from the spanish word flamengo, which translates to "flame-colored. Flamingo are social creatures, typically living in large colonies. Most of their day is spent day filter feeding for shrimp, blue-green algae, insect larvae, small insects, mollusks and crustaceans. The pink hue of American flamingos derives from a diet of plankton and plant materials, rich in carotenoids. Both sexes perform a synchronized breeding courtship ritual which includes standing in a large group, stretching their necks towards the sky, uttering calls while rapidly turning their head side to side as if looking before crossing the rode, and then flapping their wings.

Fun Fact

* The flamingo has the longest neck and longest legs in comparison to its body size. *flamingos can only eat with their heads upside down. * most of their plumage is bright pink in contrast to the paler European or African species. *The Galapagos flamingo is believed to be monogamous and tends to stay with the same mate for a lifetime.