NEN Gallery

Flamingos are found in both the Western Hemisphere and Eastern Hemisphere, but are more numerous in the former. This species of flamingo is the American Flamingo. Flamingos are filter-feeds their food being brine shrimp. Their beaks are specially adapted to separate mud and silt from the food they eat, and are uniquely used upside-down. The filtering of food items is assisted by hairy structures which line the mandibles, and their large rough-surfaced tongue. The flamingo's characteristic pink colouring is caused by the Beta carotene in their diet. Flamingos frequently stand on one leg.

Picture taken at Whipsnade Zoo July 2008.