Greater Flamingo

The Greater Flamingo with the scientific name of Phoenicopterus roseus

is one of the most widespread species of the flamingo family in India.

The biological name of this Greater Flamingo is Phoenicopterus roseus. It is the largest one among the flamingo species. It shares its genus with the Caribbean Flamingo and Chilean Flamingo. The quick classification of the Greater Flamingo is as below,

Kingdom	Animalia
Phylum	Chordata
Class	Aves
Order	Phoenicopteriformes
Family	Phoenicopteridae
Genus	Phoenicopterus
Species	Phoenicopterus roseus

Physical Characteristics:

The Greater Flamingo is the largest flamingo with the average height of 110 to 150 cm (43 to 60 in). The average weight of this greater flamingo is 2 to 4 kg (4.4 to 8.8 lbs). The wing span of this greater flamingo is 55 to 65 inches. The Greater Flamingo can grow upto 5 feet. The adult greater flamingo's legs are larger when compared to its body. Their eyes are larger than its brain.

The plumage of this species is pinkish white in colour. The wings are red in colour. The primary and secondary flight feathers are black in colour. The life span of these greater flamingos is 75 years. The legs are pink colour. The bill of this flamingo is pink in colour and also has a black tip in the bill. It makes a call like honking. They sit by extending their legs towards the backside.

The Greater Flamingos are one of the gregarious birds in India.

The greater flamingos are basically social birds. They live in a group containing few individuals to tens of thousands members in the group. The pairs are monogamous in nature. The Great flamingos are very noisy birds.

The Greater Flamingos are able to travel 600 kms (373 miles) in one night with the travelling speed of 50 to 60 kph (31 to 37 mph). The greater flamingos are one of the defenseless birds. They always fly away to protect themselves from their enemy. The greater flamingos have the ability to fly and swim. The greater flamingos are used to standing on one leg.

Habitat:

The Greater Flamingos are commonly found in the large alkaline, estuarine lagoons or saline lakes. These birds reside in the shallow coastal lagoons or mud flats. The habitats used by the great flamingos are mangrove swamps, sandy islands or tidal flats.

Migration:

The Greater Flamingos are one of the non-migratory birds in India. They may take some seasonable movements due to the climate changes or decrement of the water levels in their breeding areas. Flamingo colonies are not permanent. They breed in the high altitude lakes, which may freeze during the winter season. So, they will move to the warm places. If the water level in their breeding lake is increased, they may move to other favorable places. Most of the greater flamingos will return to their native colony during the breeding season. They do migration at night.

Food Habits:

The major food for the greater flamingos are red algae, blue-green algae, diatoms, crustaceans, larval and adult forms of small insects, mollusks, and small fishes In the flamingos diet, the alpha and beta caratenoid pigments take an important part. It is the only reason for the flamingo�s pink or red colour feathers and legs. They may feed on insects, and aquatic invertebrates as well.

They are commonly found in the eastern and western hemispheres.

They are also found in all tropical and subtropical areas.

The greater flamingos are the most widespread species of all flamingos. They are commonly found in northwest India. They are also seen in Africa, southern part of Asia, Northern Europe Pakistan, eastward to Siberia and Middle East and western Mediterranean region.

Mating and Nesting:

The Greater Flamingos are one of the social birds in India. They live in colonies with thousands of flamingos in one colony. The flamingo's social unit is based on the pair bond which is made by one male and one female. Since the bond between the flamingos is strong, the mate changes sometimes occur in the larger colonies. The mating season for these greater flamingos is between March and July.

Both male and females will participate in the nest building for their eggs. The flamingos build their nest from mud. One of the pair stands over the nest place and drags the mud between its feet by using its bill. Then, they will press the mud into the place with its bill and feet and construct a nest over that place. The height of the greater flamingos nest is 25 cm and the width of the greater flamingos nest is 40 cm.

The diameter of the greater flamingos nest is 12 to 20 inches. The female flamingo will lay egg in that nest. Both male and female will participate in the incubation. The incubation period for this flamingos is 28 to 32 days.

The egg hatches after 28 days. The parents help to pull the egg shells away. The young ones do not look like their parents. They are in gray colour with a strong bill. They obtain pink colour by eating the aquatic pigments.

The chicks are fed by their parents for the first 3 to 4 weeks. The chicks are able to fly between 75 to 77 days and stay in the crches for further a month. Flamingos are fully grownup at two years.

The conservation status of these greater flamingos is of "least concern".

The First and worst enemy to the greater flamingo is human. Since the greater flamingos are a food species, they are hunted for food.

The habitat destruction is one of the main reasons for the greater flamingo's threats. The other main reason for the threats are climate changes, diseases, predators, rising of water levels in their living places.

Subspecies of Greater Flamingo

There are two sub species in the greater flamingo. That is,
– Caribbean Flamingo with the scientific name Phoenicopterus Ruber.
– Old world Flamingo with the scientific name Phoenicopterus Ruber roseus.

Interesting facts about Greater Flamingo

1. The Greater Flamingo is the state bird of Gujarat, India.

2. The main reasons for the flamingos living in the colonies are maximizing food intake, predator avoidance, and exploiting scarce suitable nesting sites.
3. There are six species of flamingos present worldwide. Among that, 2 species of flamingos are present in India. That is, the Greater Flamingo and Lesser Flamingo.