The American flamingo is certainly one of 4 flamingo species discovered within the Americas, and the one flamingo present in the US, the place it inhabits coastal and wetland habitats in Southern Florida.
Learn on for a whole information to this unique species…
What Is An American Flamingo?
The American flamingo (Phoenicopterus ruber) is certainly one of six species of flamingo, wading birds identified for his or her hanging crimson plumage, lengthy neck and legs, curved beaks, and “upside-down” filter-feeding habits.
Local to the Caribbean, portions of Central and South The united states and Southern Florida, the American flamingo is the one flamingo species naturally found in North The united states.
The species inhabits salty lagoons and shallow coastal waters, the place it feeds totally on algae, crustaceans, and different small organisms.
The American flamingo’s unique crimson coloring is a results of its vitamin; the carotenoid pigments within the crustaceans and algae eaten via the hen are damaged down and deposited in its feathers and pores and skin.
A extremely social species, the American flamingo lives in flocks that may comprise 1000’s of people.
American Flamingo Stats
- Medical Identify: Phoenicopterus ruber
- Different Names: Caribbean Flamingo
- Order: Phoenicopteriformes
- Circle of relatives: Phoenicopteridae
- Peak: 1.1 to one.5 meters (3.6 to 4.9 ft)
- Wingspan: 1.4 to one.65 meters (4.6 to five.4 ft)
- Weight: 2 to three.6 kg (4.4 to eight lb)
- The place discovered: Caribbean, portions of Central and South The united states, southern Florida
- IUCN conservation standing (as of August 2023): Least Worry
Bodily Description
The American flamingo is a tall, sublime hen with hanging crimson plumage that varies in depth from light rose to shiny coral. Its lengthy neck helps a proportionally small head with a downward-curving, light invoice this is crimson on the base and black on the tip.
The hen’s narrow legs are crimson, and lead to webbed ft. Its eyes are encased in a yellow ring.
The American flamingo’s black flight feathers are in large part hidden when the hen isn’t in flight, however are obviously visual when the wings are open, showing as a thick black band alongside the again fringe of the wing.
(Flight feathers are the lengthy, specialised feathers at the outer a part of a hen’s wing that supply raise and thrust.)
When in flight, the flamingo’s legs path at the back of the frame, extending past the period of its tail.
American Flamingo Name
The decision of the American flamingo is steadily described as a goose-like honking, which is resonant and can also be slightly loud.
The place Are American Flamingos Discovered?
The American flamingo predominantly occupies the Caribbean area, the place it may be present in a large number of islands and coastal spaces. Nations such because the Bahamas, Cuba, and the Turks and Caicos Islands are a few of the species’ top habitats.
The American flamingo additionally inhabits spaces of Central The united states, particularly alongside the northern coasts of the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico and the coastal spaces of Belize. In South The united states, the species’ vary comprises coastal areas of Colombia and Venezuela, portions of Brazil, and the Galápagos Islands.
Infrequently, particularly all the way through breeding season or because of disruptions in its number one habitats, the American flamingo could be noticed within the southernmost portions of Florida within the U.S., making it the one flamingo species discovered naturally in North The united states. The species is provide within the Everglades and the Florida Keys.
Habitats most well-liked via the American flamingo come with salty lagoons, mudflats, shallow coastal waters, and salt residences. In addition to being wealthy in vitamins, those habitats additionally be offering a moderately low risk from predators, and their saline or hyper-saline prerequisites cut back pageant from different wading birds.
Meals availability is a significant component within the American flamingo’s selection of house; if there are inadequate assets, the flamingo will transfer to some other house.
American Flamingo Vitamin & Feeding
The American flamingo is an omnivore that basically feeds on algae, crustaceans (together with brine shrimp), seeds, and different small aquatic organisms corresponding to mollusks, fish, and bugs.
Like several flamingos, the American flamingo’s beak is tailored for clear out feeding. Lamellae (comb-like buildings) provide within the invoice sieve tiny organisms out of the water. Whilst feeding, the flamingo turns its head the other way up within the water, shifting it facet to facet to assemble and clear out meals.
The carotenoid pigments present in lots of the organisms eaten via the flamingo, specifically brine shrimp and blue-green algae, are accountable for giving the hen its unique crimson hue.
American Flamingo Circle of relatives And Comparable Species
The American flamingo is certainly one of six flamingo species, and one of the vital 4 flamingos provide within the Americas. In combination, the six flamingos make up the circle of relatives Phoenicopteridae, which is the one extant circle of relatives of order Phoenicopteriformes.
The six flamingo species are indexed underneath, in conjunction with their medical identify, vary, and conservation standing (as of August 2023).
- Higher Flamingo (Phoenicopterus roseus), The place Discovered: Africa, southern Europe, and portions of Asia, Conservation Standing: Least Worry
- Lesser Flamingo (Phoeniconaias minor), The place Discovered: Sub-Saharan Africa and portions of India, Conservation Standing: Close to Threatened
- Chilean Flamingo (Phoenicopterus chilensis), The place Discovered: South The united states, particularly in Chile, Argentina, and Bolivia, Conservation Standing: Close to Threatened
- James’s Flamingo (Phoenicoparrus jamesi) (often referred to as the Puna Flamingo), The place Discovered: Prime-altitude areas of Peru, Chile, Bolivia, and Argentina, Conservation Standing: Close to Threatened
- Andean Flamingo (Phoenicoparrus andinus), The place Discovered: Prime-altitude areas of Peru, Chile, Bolivia, and Argentina, Conservation Standing: Susceptible
- American Flamingo (Phoenicopterus ruber) (often referred to as the Caribbean Flamingo), The place Discovered: Caribbean, portions of Central and South The united states, Southern Florida, Conservation Standing: Least Worry
American Flamingo Lifestyles Cycle
Breeding depends on rainfall, which guarantees that sufficient meals is to be had for rising chicks.
The American flamingo is understood for its elaborate courtship show, which is composed of synchronized strolling, head-turning and bobbing, wing opening, and preening, steadily carried out via massive numbers of people on the similar time.
Mating takes position after the show has been carried out to the delight of each companions. The feminine American flamingo lays a unmarried chalky white egg on a dust mound, which each folks take turns incubating. This incubation length most often lasts between 28 to 32 days.
The freshly-hatched chick has a immediately invoice, which can increase its feature curve because the hen matures. The chick is roofed in a grey or white down and is completely depending on its folks for meals.
The flamingo’s feature crimson colour handiest seems after two to 3 years because of a vitamin wealthy in carotenoids.
For the primary few days after hatching, the chick is fed a nutrient-rich secretion referred to as “crop milk,” which is produced via each folks. The milk accommodates fat, proteins, and different crucial vitamins that assist the hen develop abruptly all the way through its preliminary days.
As soon as in a position to stroll, the chick will depart the quick care of its folks and sign up for a creche, consisting of all of a flock’s younger. People proceed to be fed via their folks.
Because the chick grows, its down feathers start to get replaced via juvenile feathers. At about 10 to twelve weeks, the newborn flamingo is in a position to flight.
The American flamingo reaches sexual adulthood at round 3 to five years of age.
American Flamingo Lifespan
The lifespan of the American flamingo is as much as 40 years, even though, the common lifespan has a tendency to be shorter because of predation and different herbal threats.
Is The American Flamingo Endangered?
The American flamingo isn’t an endangered species; its present IUCN conservation standing is Least Worry.
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