Its stilt-like legs, fashionable hot pink feathers, and long, curved bill, make the flamingo one of the world’s most unique and mesmerizing birds. Popular for their abundant flamingo populations, Kalahari and Botswana offer a rare insight into the breeding grounds of flamingos.
There are five species of flamingo, which can be characterized in a number of ways, one being their feather color. Flamingo feather colors range from pale pink, to hot pink, to crimson. Another characteristic that differs between each flamingo species is their height. The lesser flamingo, which is indigenous to eastern Africa and southern Africa, is one of the smallest and brightest colored of the flamingo species.
Fascinating Flamingo Facts:
• Flamingos get their pink color from their diet. Their feathers turn pink from the high amount of alpha- and beta-carotene they consume.
• A flamingo’s diet usually consists of algae, small snails, shrimp, diatoms, and mollusks, which they filter through teeth-like projections on the inside of their bill.
• The flamingo has been around for at least 10 million years, according to fossil records.
• According to the The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition, the word flamingo originates from “Portuguese flamengo or Spanish flamenco, both probably from Old Provençal flamenc, from flama, flame, from Latin flamma.”
• Flamingo’s have a lovely way of showing their attraction toward others. According to Ardastra Gardens, Zoo & Conservation Center, during breeding season, flamingos devote much of their time “to elaborate displays including: head-flagging which is often followed by the wing-salute or stretch and then the twist-preen.” Observe these magnificent displays on an African safari vacation to the Tswalu, Kalahari salt pans.
Below is a diagram of flamingo “displays” taken from the Ardastra Gardens, Zoo & Conservation Center’s website:
Fascinating Lesser Flamingo Facts:
• Lesser flamingos, which are found primarily in eastern and southern Africa, can live in colonies of up to nearly one million individuals. Greater flamingos on the other hand, can be found in colonies of hundreds of thousands of individuals.
• The saltpans of Makgadikgadi are worth stopping at to observe the lesser flamingo colonies.
• The lesser flamingo can live as long as 50 years-old in the wild, is approximately 31 – 36 in. long, and can weigh anywhere from 3 – 5 lbs. Usually the females are smaller than the males.
Share your new found flamingo knowledge with your loved ones on an African family safari or honeymoon safari. Let Hills of Africa Travel create for you a tailored itinerary, crafted around your every personal preference. Contact us today at 1.877.845.4802. Isn’t it time you experienced the magic of Africa?
