American Flamingo
(See the flamingo roundup photos!)
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There are six species of Flamingoes, all of which come from rather harsh inhospitable environments. Some species live on frozen windswept saline lakes at high altitudes in the Andes Mountains while others nest on extremely caustic alkaline mud flats that contain boiling mud pots erupting from volcanic fissures.
At the Honolulu Zoo we have two species of Flamingoes: the American (or Caribbean) from the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean and the Lesser Flamingo from East Africa, the Middle East and India. The American Flamingo is certainly the most colorful and well known of the Flamingoes and is the type of Flamingo that greets the visitors to the Honolulu Zoo.
Long Lives!
Whatever the species, Flamingoes are hardy long-lived birds. It takes several years for them to become sexually mature and find a mate. Once the birds mate, they don't always reproduce every year. In the wild breeding only takes place in years where the rainfall is adequate and food sources abundant. Even a year that starts out good could end in disaster if the rains stop too early, or there is too much rain and the nests becomes flooded. It has been estimated that taking into account bad weather, predation, food resources, natural disasters and deaths, it may take an average pair of Flamingoes 25 years or more to produce enough offspring to replace themselves! It is a good thing that they are long-lived birds!
In the Pink
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As mentioned earlier, the American Flamingo is the most colorful specie. It is a deep scarlet red on head, neck, breast and wings with Lighter shades of scarlet and pink on the back and under the tail. The Primary and Secondary feathers are jet black and make a striking contrast to the vivid colors of the rest of the bird.
The beautiful color of Flamingoes (and a number of other colorful birds) is acquired from their diet. The small crustaceans and algae that the flamingoes eat contain carotinoid and other natural pigments that are processed in the body and deposited in the growing feathers. (Carotene is one of the most common carotinoid pigments and is what makes Carrots and other vegetables orange in color.) Only specific red chemical compounds will color Flamingoes. This means that you can't turn a Flamingo blue by feeding it blue colored food. At the zoo we add a product called Roxanthin Red to their food. This is what gives Flamingoes their bright "Pink" color.
Friends and Neighbors
Flamingoes are very social birds and will not nest unless there are a number of other flamingoes present. Usually there is a "critical mass" of birds that is needed to initiate breeding and smaller flocks tend not to breed us well as larger ones. During the breeding season, group behavior is very important to get the entire flock "in the mood" for breeding and synchronize the production of eggs.
The flock displays are very dramatic, especially when performed by a large group of birds simultaneously. In the wild where flocks of Flamingoes can number in the hundreds of thousands, the infectious courtship behaviors can be seen to sweep through the flock like the crowd doing "the wave" at a football game. In smaller flocks like our own at the Honolulu Zoo, usually one or to birds start calling and displaying and soon the whole flock joins in, performing in unison.
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Although Flamingoes are extremely social, they spend quite a bit of time fighting with each other. These are usually only noisy squabbles and pecking skirmishes and never cause any damage or harm. When nesting, you can see that each nest is placed exactly one neck length away from its neighbor, just within arguing distance! The most disastrous consequence of all this fighting is broken or "scrambled eggs!"
High-rise Nests
Flamingoes build a very interesting nest. Since they nest on barren mud flats, there is nothing else to build a nest from except the mud itself. The mud is piled up one mouthful at a time till it forms a tall 1 to 3 foot cone with a shallow indentation in the top for the single egg. The tall nest is a hedge against rising waters that may wash away the eggs and the height keeps the egg and chick off the hot searing alkaline floor of the mud flat. There can be a 20 to 30 degree temperature difference from the hot ground and the top of the nest!
Honolulu Zoo Birds
The Honolulu Zoo flock numbers 19 birds. Most of our birds are quite old and could be considered geriatric. All but 5 of the birds were adults in 1968 when they arrived here at the Honolulu Zoo. That makes most of the flock over 30 years old. That is not exceptional for a flamingo, but since these were adult birds when they arrived, they could have been 10 to 20 years old or older. Four of the five other birds were born at Sea World of California in 1989.
Sherman!
The youngest bird in the flock is Sherman. He is the only Flamingo to be born here at the Honolulu Zoo. Sherman's egg was laid in 1993 and his parents tried to take good care of it. Unfortunately, one of the Flamingoes infamous squabbles ended with Sherman's egg being knocked from its nest and rolled into the pool. When the keepers found the egg the next morning it was cold and wet and it was thought that there would be Little chance it would hatch. The determined keepers moved the egg to an incubator and hoped for the best. Miraculously, the egg hatched and the chick was named Sherman.
Raising Sherman was a struggle. Young Flamingoes have a very specific diet and the food must be dribbled into their throats like the adult Flamingoes do. Sherman also had several medical problems, but with round the clock keeper care, and medical help from our zoo veterinarians, he pulled through. As he got a bit older, he was taken out to the Flamingo pond every day to mingle with the other birds. Sherman though, prefers to think he is a human. To this day he follows the keepers around and will often lay his head on their shoulder. If you notice a Flamingo marching up and down calling to the visitors with a band on his leg with the number #3 on it, that is Sherman.
