Don’t Be Afraid to Get Your Feet Wet!

Flamingos are tall, pink wading birds with thick downturned bills.  They have slender legs, long, graceful necks, large wings, and short tails.  They live in groups called a flamboyance.  In the wild they sometimes gather by the thousands!

There are six species of Flamingos.  It is estimated that there are more than 200,000 Caribbean flamingos with populations in the Bahamas and Cuba, Mexico, and the Southern Caribbean.  There is a small group of about 400-500 in the Galápagos Islands as well. Chilean, Andean, and James’s flamingos are found only in South America. Lesser flamingos are found in parts of Africa and southern Asia.  The largest and tallest flamingos are Greater flamingos and they are found in parts of Africa, Asia, and Europe.

Flamingos build nests made of mud.  Their nest looks like a mini mud volcano.  There is room for one large egg.  Flamingos mate for life and they help to build the nest and incubate the egg.  After about 30, the egg hatches and the chick is hatched with white-grey, downy feathers and a straight bill. As the flamingo matures its bill will gradually curve downward.

Both parents take turns feeding the newborn flamingo a fluid produced in their digestive systems. This ‘milk’ is produced in its crop (a part of its throat) and then brought up through its mouth.  Crop milk is full of healthy proteins and fats.  Both parents can produce this crop milk to feed their chick until it is old enough to eat on its own. 

After about five days the young chicks leave their nests to join other young flamingos in small groups while returning to their parents for food.  The parents can identify their chick by its voice.  After about three weeks, the young flamingos are herded by the adults into large groups called crèches where they start to look for food on their own.

Crèches!  Sounds like the parents are sending their chicks to pre-school or day-care. He he.

Flamingos turn their heads upside down to eat. A flamingo will place its head upside down in the water with its bill pointed at its feet.  It sweeps its head from side-to-side and uses its tongue to pump water in and out of its bill.  The comb-like plates along the edge of its bill create a filter for water to rush out and food is trapped inside. 

Flamingos eat algae, small seeds, tiny crustaceans like brine shrimp, fly larvae and other plants and animals that live in shallow water. Brine shrimp eat microscopic algae which have pigments called carotenoids.  When a flamingo dines on algae and brine shrimp, its body metabolizes these pigments and their feathers will turn pink.  

Flamingos can stand on one foot for long periods of time.  Scientists believe they do this to stay warm.  Birds lose body heat through their limbs so by standing on one leg and tucking the other under their belly, they can limit the amount of body heat that escapes through their legs and feet. One study discovered that flamingos are more likely to stand on one foot in water than on land.  Another study found they adopted a one-legged stance more often when the weather is colder. 

Flamingos can fly.  Some flamingos will travel to breed.  Some migrate to a new body of water as seasons change or move to a warmer, lower-altitude area for the winter.  They often fly at night if they are travelling long distances.  

These are the sayings I found on the bookmark called Advice from a Flamingo.

• Wade Into Life

• Stand Out in a Crowd

• Spend Time With Your Flock

• Find the Right Balance

• Be Flexible

• Keep Your Beak Clean

• Don’t Be Afraid to Get Your Feet Wet!

Here are my comments about each of these sayings.

• Wade Into Life - Jump in. Get involved in what you are doing in a very determined and energetic way.  

• Stand Out in a Crowd - Be your unique self and stand out so others will notice you.

• Spend Time With Your Flock - Spend time with your family and friends. If you are part of a group, be engaged and share your gifts with others.

• Find the Right Balance - We all need to take breaks and find a balance between work and play. 

• Be Flexible - Be ready and able to make changes so you can adapt to different situations. 

• Keep Your Beak Clean - This makes me think of your mouth.  Be careful what you say.  Words matter.  Encourage others by what you say. 

• Don’t Be Afraid to Get Your Feet Wet! - Begin something new today.

Have a great day everyone.  Don’t Be Afraid to Get Your Feet Wet!

# living life abundantly  # published author  # travelling tuesdays