Cariber Flamingo

The name "flamingo" comes from the Latin word for flame, referring to its pink plumage.
In nature, the flamingo gets its red colour from some small crustaceans and algae it eats. In zoos, flamingos get a red dye mixed into their food to give them a red colour.

The flamingo is a social animal that lives in flocks ranging from a few individuals to several thousand. It lays its eggs in small elevated mud nests and feeds by filtering the water with its beak, much like a blue whale filters its food using its baleen.

In Roman times, the flamingo tongue was considered a delicacy. Just 30 years ago, both flamingos and their eggs were eaten.

• Distribution: Widespread throughout the African coast, the Mediterranean, parts of Asia, as well as the southern United States, the Caribbean and the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico
• Stock: Unthreatened
• Weight: 2.1-4.1 kilos. Males are slightly larger than females
• Height: 120 to 145 centimetres
• Sexual maturity: 3 years of age
• Incubation period: 28-31 days. The chicks are ready to fly after 2-3 months
• Number of chicks: Typically lays one egg per year
• Food: Flamingos are primarily carnivores, so their diet typically consists of fish, insects, mussels, snails and crustaceans. However, they also eat algae and plankton
• Life expectancy: Around 25 years in the wild and 30 years in captivity
• Latin name: Phoenicopterus ruber