Flamingos
By: Zoe
Description
Flamingos are the tallest water Earth! They can be more than 5 feet tall! When flamingos hatch from their egg, they have gray and white feathers and straight beaks. As they grow, their beaks start to curve and they get more pink.
Habitat
Did you know that flamingos can live in flocks with up to a million birds? Flamingos can be found in tropical and subtropical places in Africa and Europe. Instead of making their nests out of sticks and grass, flamingos make their nests out of mud! Flamingos can live about 15 to 20 years in their natural habitat.
Food
Do you want to know what flamingos eat? Well, here you go. Flamingos are omnivores so that means they eat plants and animals. Okay, you're probably asking, "Wait a minute, I'm pretty sure flamingos don't eat meat." Well, yeah, they do. They eat shellfish, insect larvae, algae, shrimp, and different types of small fish. The shrimp is a pinkish color so that is mostly what gives them their color.
Fun Facts
The word flamingo comes from the Spanish word "flamenco" which means fire, because of the color of their feathers. There are 6 different types of flamingos- The Chilean flamingo, The Andean flamingo, The Greater flamingo, The Lesser flamingo, The American flamingo, and the James' flamingos. Flamingos can fly at speeds up to 35 mph! When they sleep, they usually sleep on one leg in the water.
(Hilarious) Andean flamingo mating dance | NATURE | "Andes: The Dragon's Back"