Galapagos Flamingo

Galapagos Flamingos or Caribbean Flamingos (Phoenicopterus Ruber) are gregarious, wading birds that belong to a family of large, brilliantly coloured aquatic birds whose habitats are alkaline or saline lakes. Long legs and a long, curved neck are characteristic of all flamingo species.

The Galapagos Flamingo measures 120 – 140 centimetres in length, males weigh 2.8 kilograms and females 2.2 kilograms. Most of their plumage is pink, giving rise to its earlier name of Rosy Flamingo and differentiating adults from the much paler European species. The wing coverts are red and the primary and secondary flight feathers are black. A flamingos beak is pink with a restricted black tip and the legs are entirely pink. A flamingos call is a goose-like honking.

Flamingos filter-feed on brine shrimp. Their oddly-shaped beaks are specially adapted to separate mud and silt from the food they consume and are uniquely used upside-down. The filtering of food items is assisted by hairy structures called lamellae which line the mandibles and the large rough-surfaced tongue. Flamingos also feed on small crustaceans (shelled fish).