THE ANIMAL FILES

Greater flamingo

Phoenicopterus roseus

The bill turns downward, the feet stir mud, and tiny food is filtered out.

The greater flamingo feeds in shallow lagoons and mudflats, filtering small food items from water. Its pink tones come from dietary pigments, but young birds begin with grey down rather than the familiar adult colour.[1]

Follow the evidence ↓
Greater flamingo
Image: El Golli Mohamed · Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0
Feeding
Filters small organisms and other particles[1]
Nest
A mud mound[1]
Young colour
Grey down[1]

Feet stir, bill filters

The feet disturb mud before the lowered head takes in water. The bill separates food that can include crustaceans, algae, insects and other small organisms. Feeding mechanics connect leg movement with a specialised mouth.[1]

Pink changes through life

Food-derived carotenoids contribute to the plumage colour. Juveniles are paler and have darker legs, while adults provisioning chicks can also fade. Colour is therefore affected by condition and stage, not just species identity.[1]

Mud supports a single egg

A mud mound holds a single pale egg, and both parents participate in care. Large group displays precede pairing, but pair bonds need not persist unchanged across consecutive breeding seasons.[1]

A COMMON MIX-UP

Are flamingos born bright pink?

No. Chicks wear grey down; adult-like colour develops later.[1]

TRY A LITTLE REASONING

Why watch the feet as well as the bill?

Reveal the explanation

Stirring with the feet helps suspend material before the bill filters it, so both actions form the feeding sequence.[1]

Sources & editorial notes

Adapted and translated from the cited Wikipedia revisions, with source-linked reasoning. Image credit and licence are listed separately above.

Adapted and translated from Wikipedia contributors; exact revisions are linked below. CC BY-SA 4.0

  1. Wikipedia contributors — Greater flamingo (fixed revision; adapted and translated)
  2. NCBI Taxonomy — Phoenicopterus roseus (identity and classification)

Last fact check:

One discovery leads to another

Common swiftA nest made with materials caught in mid-air.Apus apus ↗Andean condorA huge bird can travel on rising air.Vultur gryphus ↗Peregrine falconA hunting dive is not the same measurement as level flight.Falco peregrinus ↗