Greater flamingos are the largest flamingo species and the most widespread, living in Africa, the Middle East, southern Europe and south and west Asia. Their habitats are lagoons and shallow lakes.
The life of a greater flamingo
Greater flamingos grow up to five feet tall, weigh up to nine pounds and live 20 to 30 years in the wild, and up to 50 years in human care. Their wingspan is three to five feet.
Greater flamingos gather in flocks sometimes as large as 200,000 birds! They build simple nests out of mud mounds in areas of shallow water. The nest must be tall enough to keep out any water. Females typically lay one egg at a time, which hatches after about a month. The young are fed on “crop milk” made in the stomachs of their parents.
Greater flamingos’ pink and reddish feathers come from their diet, which includes a pigment called carotenoid. They feed on invertebrates by dipping their beaks into mud and water then sift out food to feast on algae, flies, shrimp and mollusks. When feeding young, greater flamingos sometimes lose color in their feathers because the carotenoid pigment in their diet is being passed to their chicks.
Greater flamingos are difficult for predators to reach because they spend so much time in shallow water. Crocodiles, big cats and wild dogs will sometimes attempt to prey on adult flamingos. Young flamingos are more vulnerable. Eagles, vultures and other animals attack their nests to prey on eggs and chicks.
Greater flamingos at the zoo
Located in the Africa area.
