Saturday, January 15, 2022

Flamingo continued


Flamingos often stand on one leg. The reason for this behavior is not fully known. A leg is tucked beneath the body, because the flamingo like some other animals has the ability to have half of its body go into a state of sleep, and when one side is rested, the flamingo will swap leg and then let the other half sleep, but this has not been proven. It is often suggested that this is done in part to keep the legs from getting wet, in addition to conserving energy.

At first glance, the flamingos appear to be all pink. there is a hidden striking feature that is only visible when the Flamingo is in flight or spreading its wings
There are 12 principal flight feathers located on each wing. These black feathers are visible when the wings are extended.



Flamingos are very gregarious, very loud and they enjoy being in crowds and socializing with each other.









Nature is the art of God. The landscape belongs to the person who looks at it. - Ralph Waldo Emerson

25 comments:

Ginny Hartzler said...

These are wonderful photos! The only theory I have heard about the one leg is to conserve energy. It looks like their entire wings underneath are black!

Tigger's Mum said...

You are right about them being chatty. The crowd we saw at Koronisi in our Autumn sounded like they were at a football match. Ours aren't nearly so pink as yours. Xxx Mr T

Yamini MacLean said...

Hari OM
These are just gorgeous shots, Sandra - and the info excellent! YAM xx

Hootin Anni said...

Aren't they fantastic??!!

eileeninmd said...

Wow, Beautiful Flamingos and photos. I just love their pretty color.
Take care, enjoy your day!

Ann said...

These pictures are fantastic. I never saw a picture of one that showed the underside of their wings. I had no idea they were black. I don't know about the theories regarding why they stand on one leg. I asked google and she said birds lose a lot of heat through their legs and holding one leg closer to the body could help conserve heat. So there you go, another theory :)

Rose said...

Wow! I did not know about the black feathers. I would love to see one in flight.

Martha said...

Gorgeous photos Sandra. Flamingoes are my favorite birds. :)

DeniseinVA said...

Great quote and your photos are gorgeous! I love flamingoes and even have an ornament for our Christmas tree, a flamingo standing on one leg.

Chatty Crone said...

Oh my gosh that is amazing - I love the photos - I would never ever have known that the feathers underneath are black - they are truly lovely!

Debby@Just Breathe said...

Such beautiful photos. They are so pretty. Thank you for sharing their story. God's creations are so amazing.

My Mind's Eye said...

Loved every bit of this. The last sentence OMDs is wonderful and so very true.
Hugs Cecilia

photowannabe said...

Love your photos and the information. Strange and beautiful birds.
I'm going to go back into my archives to view some of my flamingo photos to see if I captured any black under wings.
Great quote from Emerson
Moving slow today after doing my care-giving yesterday and helping serve at Celebrate Recovery last evening.
This old gray mare is slowing down a bit.
Sue

DawnTreader said...

We have some flamingos at our zoo but they are so much paler in color. I guess ours really isn't the best climate for them!

Mevely317 said...

Those contrasting colors are so beautiful! I like the notion of them instinctively conserving energy. Wouldn't that be a neat trick for we mortals? (Then again, I can't stand on one leg to put on my panties without nearly doing a face plant.)

♥♥ The OP Pack ♥♥ said...

Flamingos are just beautiful creatures. Mom has always been amazed at how they stand on those long skinny legs. Thanks for all the information. about them.

Woos - Lightning, Misty, and Timber

NanaDiana said...

I can remember being amazed when I found out their color came from what they ate. Aren't they beautiful?! xo Diana

Ruth Hiebert said...

They are so beautiful . I do know I wouldn’t make a good flamingo, I can barely stand on two legs.

CheerfulMonk said...

I didn't know that about the black feathers!

Betty Manousos said...

amazing photos as usual! I love flamingos. such beautiful creatures! have a wonderful day! xoxo

DeniseinVA said...

These photos are in red! I adore their beautiful plumage. Interesting info too.

DeniseinVA said...

Okay, so I typed out ‘these photos are incredible! How did auto correct come up with ‘red’?

DeniseinVA said...

You know I must love these photos if this is my third comment, lol!

Sandy said...

Awesome photo's, had no idea about the one leg thing, very interesting info. The black is striking and really makes such a nice contrast in the color of the bird.
Sandy's Space

Forsythia said...

Lovely photos! Happy to learn a little more about these lovely birds.