The flamingo looks very graceful. This large waterfowl has thin long legs and flexible neck, and flamingo's unusual coloring has never gone unnoticed. Adult male and female common flamingo wear plumage of soft pink color. The wings of the flamingo bird are purplish-red, with black-colored fly feathers. Slender legs of flamingo have pinkish tint. The beak is also pink, but has a black tip. Flamingo looks unusual not only because of the unique coloring of its plumage. The flamingo bird holds its long neck in the form of a question mark with enviable grace. Also, flamingos stand on one leg with ease. To reduce heat loss, they take turns holding their legs in their plumage.
From the outside this pose seems very difficult and uncomfortable. But in fact, it requires absolutely no effort from the flamingo. The flamingo bird has a massive beak curved downward. The upper part of the bill of flamingo is movable, not the lower one, which distinguishes it from many other birds. On the head of common flamingo there are not feathery areas, bridle and small ring around eyes, which have red color. The pink flamingo has a rounded body and a very short tail. Flamingo looks quite a big bird. The total body length is 120-130 cm.
The weight of adults reaches 3.5-4 kg. On their feet they have 4 toes, of which 3 are connected by a swimming webbing. Why is the flamingo pink? Pink coloring of flamingo's plumage is caused by carotin, which birds get with the food. Flamingos owe their pink coloring to small red crustaceans containing the same carotene. In the zoos flamingos do not lose their unique coloring because they receive carotene-containing food in their diet: carrots and sweet bell pepper and, of course, small crustaceans. Due to this flamingo looks as bright as in the wild. Where do flamingos live and how? The pink flamingo is the most common species of flamingo. Flamingos live in Africa, southern Europe, and southwest Asia. In Europe, flamingo colonies live in southern France, Spain, and Sardinia. In Africa, flamingos live in the south of the continent, as well as in Tunisia, Morocco, Mauritania, Kenya, and the Cape Verde Islands.
Flamingo inhabits the lakes of Southern Afghanistan, Northwest India and Sri Lanka. Also pink flamingo inhabits several lakes in Kazakhstan. Flamingos live all their lives in different sized groups, because they are social birds. When flying from place to place, they gather in flocks, and when on the ground, they keep in groups. Pink flamingo lives on large lakes with salty water, in sea lagoons and firths, in shallow waters in hard-to-reach places and with muddy bottom. Flamingos live along the shores of reservoirs in large colonies that can number hundreds of thousands of individuals. In general, flamingos live sedentary. These birds may roam within their habitat to find a place with more favorable conditions for living or when food is scarce in the former place. Only the northern populations of pink flamingo make migrations for nesting.
Flamingo lives in different conditions and is able to tolerate sharp temperature fluctuations. Pink flamingos have good endurance and can cope even with extreme weather conditions in which not every animal can survive. They are found near very salty or alkaline lakes. This is due to large populations of crustaceans in salt water bodies where fish do not live due to increased salinity. Pink flamingos also live in high altitude lakes. Being in the aggressive conditions of alkaline and salty environment, the common flamingo can stay in it thanks to the dense skin on its legs. To quench thirst and wash off salt, birds periodically visit nearby fresh water sources. Poaching and intensive economic activities have led to a worldwide decrease in their population. For now, the species is listed as "Least Concern" in the International Red Data Book.
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