the family of the flamingos includes 5 types. it differs strongly from their relatives next presumably, the waders and the duck-birds, so that they zoologist it into a separate order (Phoenicopteriformes) of the birds puts.
Shape With the waders, the whole external appearance connects the flamingos with the long neck, 19 neck-fuss!) and the overlong legs. Two types (Andes-flamingo, James-flamingo) have only 3 toes, with all the flamingo, however, the 3 fore toes with swimming-skins are interconnected, that short in 4. Toe shows to the back. Further anatomical characteristics remind of Störche. Mutualities or however similarities with ducks - as well as. Construct Z goose-birds against it the parasite-fauna (Federlinge). B. Anaticola or Anatoecus, the simultaneous molt of all of swinging and some behaviors (u). a. goose-good reputations.
Nutrition The type of the eating is unique: Flamingos are on completely tried at the food-search in lagoons and strongly saline seas (also mountain-seas of the Andes until 4000 m of height). Flamingos stand in the shallow water and sieve with its crooked-beak, that is equipped with commutator bars at the sides, and as a strainer works, microorganisms from.
There are two sorts of food-specialists: The actual flamingo and the Chilean flamingo live worms and insect-larvae, the dwarf, - the short-beak - on small cancers, snails, and the Andes-flamingo against it eat mini-creatures like blue and green-algae, singles-educational u. ä.
With the 3 flamingo-types, that live from mini-creatures, the waiter-beak sticks out deeply Kiel-shaped between the branches of the lower jaw down, also the finer commutator bars form a much denser strainer as with the other both types. Through "clump" with the feet, flamingos whirl up the nutrient-containing ground-mud from time to time, that can contain until substance organic to 91 percent.
Brood-biology Flamingos react extremely sensitively to disturbances at the Nistplatz, also fluctuations of the salt content impair the brood-course, so that doesn't stride at all to the deposit of the eggs in some years of determined colonies. The nests stand densely together, some are together interconnected through flat dams. The nest consists of a 30-40 cm high mud-hill in the flat shore-water, that has an upper diameter of 25-40 cm (50-60 cm at the basis) and carries a flat hollow above, in which the single white egg is put without further end-upholstery. Only rarely, one finds two eggs in a nest. Shortly, the construction-activity increases strongly before the deposit of the eggs, is only few previously to see of the nest. Also after the deposit of the eggs, both alto-birds increase the construction another while. When drying up, the birds condense the material through treading down. The female takes over the main-part of the entire construction-activity.
Both parents brood for 28-32 days with what the flamingo with its far to the back protruding heel-joints sedentary on the nest offers a particular sight.
The squabs have a short, dense Dunenkleid (easily gray on the upper side, knows below more brightly), that is replaced with a dark-gray youth-dress after 4 weeks. The legs and the beak still are initial red, after few days already becomes it blue-gray until black. Also the beak first is straight, only after approximately 2 weeks, it begins to bend.
In the first 4 days, the young flamingo remains on the nest crouches, with disturbances, however, it can run already after few hours and can swim. After abandonment of the nest to "kindergartens", over which some alto-birds constantly hold station, several squabs meet. Since the filter-beak is not yet developed fully, the boys still are dependent on the parents, that recognize it personally and feed with a particular nutritional-liquid, the "milk" of the flamingos. This is especially nourishing through fat and proteins.
The young flamingos then are fully befiedert in the age of 6 weeks, they become fully-fledged with approximately 78 days. Flamingos with approximately 6 years become sexually mature.
Types The actual flamingo (Phoenicopterus ruber) is flamingos (Ph.r.roseus) in the light race of the Rosa in the south of Spain and France, spreads in north and East-Africa, on the Kapverdischen islands as well as in Asia (from the Iran as far as to Afghanistan and India). The second race, that red flamingo (Ph.r.ruber), lives in the Caribbean, on Yucatán, at the Guyana-coast and on the Galápagos-Inseln.
A near relative type is the Chilean flamingo (Phoenicopterus chilensis), who is given a home from South-Chile and South-Argentina as far as to South-Brazil, Peru and Bolivia.
Into the own type Phoenicoparrus, some put zoologist the two other South American types. The yellow-foot or Andes-flamingo (Phoenicoparrus andinus) occurs in the Andes-area of Chile and Argentina as far as into the south of Peru while the short-beak or James-flamingo (Phoenicoparrus jamesi) lives also in Bolivia in addition.
It will lead also the dwarf-flamingo (Phoeniconaias minor) of the eastern Africa, Madagascar and Nordindiens as own type, however is all these differentiations controversial.
As far as several types occur in the same area, they brood also in common colonies. Different behaviors prevent a mixture of the types on that occasion.
The red plumage-coloring of the flamingos is dependent on sufficient supply at Karotinoiden (red dyes, that occur also in carrots) with the food.
Flamingos are a quite old bird-group, whose survival today in freedom through the onward destruction of its habitat (concern about noise) airplanes as well as Trockenlegungen etc.) seriously in question, it is put.
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