Flamingos have got to be some of the most tremendous birds. Most of the eggs are laid (and hatch) at Lake Natron in Tanzania, but the flamingos spend most of their adult life in Kenya. From the five species of flamingos worldwide, two are found in Kenya - the lesser and greater flamingo.
The greater flamingos are bigger, taller and have a light pink shade on their beaks, while the lesser flamingos have a deeper pink color on their feathers with black at the tips and a deep red color on their beaks.
The greater flamingo feeds on crustaceans and other organisms found in mud while the lesser flamingo feeds on the floating algae found in the soda lakes, it is believed that the algae they feed on gives them the pink color. These are intelligent birds. It is believed that they stand on one leg to retain body heat. They also fly at night, this is to avoid being spotted by predators like the eagles.
Flamingos are monogamous, they retain a mating partner through out their life. They breed once every three years and the female will often lay one egg at a time. Both the male and female take part in incubating the egg. After 21-38 days the egg hatches. When young, the flamingo chick is white in color, their beaks are straight, then curve with time. For the first three months, the young flamingo chick will feed on milk produced by both parents from the upper digestive tract and other members of the colony can feed the chicks.
Their average lifespan is between 20-40 years and will start breeding when they are about 4 years.
 |
| Flamingos. Amboseli, Kenya |
