Greater flamingo — size comparison

The greater flamingo inhabits shallow lakes, lagoons and saline wetlands. Long legs allow it to wade, and its strongly bent bill filters food. Dietary carotenoids give the feathers their pink colour; young birds are initially much greyer.

It feeds with its head inverted underwater, pumping water through fine structures inside the bill with its tongue. These retain crustaceans, molluscs, algae and other small organisms. The feet may stir up sediment.

Flamingos breed in colonies, perform collective courtship displays and lay a single egg on a mud mound. Both parents feed the chick with a digestive-tract secretion. Older chicks gather in groups, but parents recognise their own offspring by voice. Suitable shallow, food-rich water determines feeding and breeding locations.

Measurement sources

• Wymiar porównania — źródło przeglądu rozmiarów
• Wymiary i biologia — San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance
• Status ochrony — IUCN