The name “flamingo” comes from Portuguese or Spanish flamengo, meaning “flame-colored”
The pink or reddish color of flamingos comes from carotenoids found in the shrimp, plankton, algae and crustaceans they eat.
Flamingos have a unique way of eating…upside down. They plunge their head underwater and use their bills like a shovel to scoop up food. Their specially adapted bills filter and separate mud and silt from the food. Hairy structures called lamellae line the inside of their bills and assist in filtering the food.
Flamingos are very social birds; they live in colonies whose population can number in the thousands.
There are six species of flamingos around the world.
Eye of the Wild Photography 