Greater flamingo

Facts

IUCN LEAST CONCERN (LC)

Facts about this animal

The Greater flamingo has a total length of 125-145 cm; the body is only about 2/5 of the total length. Wing span is 140-165 cm. The plumage of the head, neck, body and tail is white with pink tinge. The Wing-coverts are bright crimson-orange and flight feathers are black. This flight feathers are usually partly hidden when the wings are at rest. The bill is curced downwards and pink with a black tip.

The very long legs are grey-pink with darker joints and feet. The sexes look alike, but males may be slightly larger than females. The plumage of juveniles is streaky brown. They have a grey bill with a black tip and gray to brown legs.

Did you know?
that in the wild Flamingos get their pink colour from the crustaceans that they eat? They would lose their colour in the zoo if they were not fed a beta-carotin colour additive.

Factsheet
Class	AVES
Order	CICONIIFORMES
Suborder	PHOENICOPTERI
Family	PHOENICOPTERIDAE
Name (Scientific)	Phoenicopterus roseus
Name (English)	Greater flamingo
Name (French)	Flamant rosé
Name (German)	Rosaflamingo
Name (Spanish)	Flamenco común
Local names	Afrikaans: Groot flamink Italian: Fenicottero Portugiese: Flamingo-comum Romansh: Flamingo rosa
CITES Status	Appendix II
CMS Status	Appendix II Included in AEWA

Photo Copyright by
Adrian Pingstone

Distribution

Distribution
Range	The species is widespread throughout S Europe, SW and S Asia, and Africa. Breeding around the Mediterranean basin in France, Spain, Turkey, Morocco, Tunisia Egypt, and also in Botswana, Kenya, Mauritania, Namibia, Senegal, Soth Africa and Tanzania. The species may also be found through the Midlde East to Kazakhstan, India and Sri Lanka.
Habitat	Saline lagoons and salt-pans, large, shallow hightly alkaline or saline inland lakes. Breeds on mudflats or sandy islands, or on islands of large water bodies and occasionally on bare, rocky islands.
Wild population	West Africa: 30,000-60,000 - trend unknown Eastern Africa: 35,000 - decreasing Southern Africa: 55,000 - decreasing West Mediterranean: 80,000 - in creasing East Mediterranean and Asia: 500,000 - stable
Zoo population	3127 reported to ISIS (2007)

In the Zoo

How this animal should be transported

For air transport, Container Note 17 of the IATA Live Animals Regulations should be followed.

Find this animal on ZooLex

Photo Copyright by
J. M. Garg

Why do zoos keep this animal

The greater flamingo is not a threatened species, and zoos do not operate coordinated ex situ breeding programmes. Common flamingos are thus primarily kept for educational purposes, e.g. because of their social behaviour, their unique way of feeding, or the role carotenoides play for plumage colouration. Flamingos are also excellent ambassador species for wetland conservation.

How this animal should be kept

Outdoor enclosures should be built with the maximum desired flock size in mind. For 20 adults, an enclosure of at least 100 m² land and 20 m² water surface is required. The land part must be enlarged by 5 m², the pool by 0.5 m² for each additional adult.

Water should be able to flow freely in all areas of the pool to avoid any possible buildups of botulism. Also, this area should be large enough to allow the flock to engage in any courtship displays. A nesting area should be large enough to accommodate the entire flock, with room to allow for potential aggression. A recommended size for a nesting area is 0.9 m² per bird. Always allow enough space to accommodate offspring and any future acquisitions.

Feeding areas separate from the pool or main water source, with their own drainage system and water source should be set aside. There should be access from all sides of the feeding area or pool to prevent aggression.

A well-maintained grass cover is probably the best substrate for a flamingo enclosure. Where prevailing winds are common, windbreaks should be added to prevent even the pinioned birds from taking short flights. Enclosure orientation should also be looked at in these cases to eliminate long runs into the wind. If possible, also include a built-in catching and holding area.

Predators can be a problem in such a small, enclosed area and it is recommended that this be taken into consideration. Some methods of preventing depredation include the use of electric wire on the top of the fence and a mesh ceiling to prevent predator access to the area.

In cold and temperate climates, a frost free wintering area is required offering at least 0.5 m² land and and 0.5 m² water surface per bird. It is not recommended to mix flamingos with any mammal species, especially hoof stock. Miximg flamingos with non-aggressive waterfowl, such as smaller ducks and ibises is possible but special consideration should be made to separate feeding areas for species other than flamingos as there have been several incidences of flamingos becoming impacted on the sand and grit used in various waterfowl diets.

A variety of commercially available, grain-based diets containing 20 to 40% protein, developed using the nutrient requirements of poultry and duck species, have proven successful for maintenance, growth, and reproduction of flamingos in captivity and should be provided as the staple diet. In the absence of organisms occurring naturally in the flamingos’ pool, possible enrichment items could include a range of small whole prey such as krill, copepods, and aquatic insect larvae to duckweed (Lemna sp.), chopped greens, and algae species. Many zoos use canthaxanthin as a pigment added to the diet.