Flamingos Are Flamboyant! Trivia Quiz

Answer: Gray or white

Sources disagree on the exact color; they state that flaminglets are either a dull white or light gray. This may be surprising because, as you may know, the name flamingo means "flame-colored". It may take, however, two or three years for the bird to achieve its flaming color.

The color is dependent on what the bird eats, and in the wild those who are the brightest-colored are also considered to be the healthiest. That is not the case for those in captivity, as they may be well-fed, but not with their preferred food that promotes the flaming color.

Answer: True

When they hatch, flaminglets have a beak that looks much like the beak of any other bird. As they grow, however, their beak changes shape and becomes curved. This allows the adult bird to dredge up a beakful of mud, water, and, hopefully, food by moving its feet. All that is collected can then be strained and whatever is edible can be eaten. Flamingos do not have teeth, but they do have hair-like structures called lamellae to help them filter the mud from their food.

There are six species of flamingos, but their beaks are not all shaped in the same way. Some species have a deep-keeled bill, while others have a shallow-keeled bill. This allows the different species to eat different foods. All species eat with their heads upside down, though!

Answer: Crop milk

Adult flamingos produce crop milk in their upper digestive tract to feed flaminglets. It is described as a mixture of protein, fat, and red and white blood cells. Flaminglets will stay in the nest for about six days before venturing out to explore their surroundings. When old enough the flaminglet will eat food that is regurgitated for them.

Answer: Algae and brine shrimp

The six species of flamingos are found throughout North and South America, Africa, Asia, and Europe, but all of them prefer to live in the same type of environment and eat the same kind of food. While the blue-green and red algae, along with brine shrimp, are the foods that give them their vibrant pink to red color due to their content of beta carotene, flamingos also eat insect larvae, small insects, mollusks, other crustaceans, and even small fish! In the wild males flamingos that are the most colorful are considered to be the best mates by the females!

And no, in case you are wondering, flamingos do not have pink poop. Their feces looks much like the feces of most other birds.

Answer: Wetlands

The natural habitat of flamingos is the wetlands. They like to live in a warm environment in an estuary or a saline/alkaline lake, which can be either near the seacoast or further inland. They enjoy living in areas with shallow water and lots of mud! These types of habitats do not support many other living creatures, but they do provide the food that flamingos like to eat.

Answer: False

The six species of flamingos vary in size from as tall as 4.7 feet to as short as 2.6 feet. This, of course, means that their wing spans vary as well. All, however, are very capable flyers, and are said to be able to fly as far as 373 miles in one night - their preferred time to travel! Although they do not typically migrate, some species may move from higher altitude lakes to warmer areas during seasonal temperature changes, or look for a better home if there is a change in their current habitat.

Some flamingos that are kept in zoos must have their wings periodically clipped in order to prevent escape. The inside part of the wing that is not seen except when the bird is in flight is black, which provides a beautiful contrast to their flaming color.

Answer: Only a female flamingo sits on the nest until the flaminglet hatches.

Actually, both of the flamingo parents are very devoted. They have a mating ritual that includes the building of the nest, and, after just one egg is laid, both the mother and father take turns keeping it warm. By the way, flamingo eggs look much like chicken eggs - white on the outside with a yellow yolk. Sometimes, however, pink yolks are found! After the flaminglet is hatched, the responsibility of both parents is to feed and take care of it until it is ready to be on its own.

Interestingly, after about five days the flaminglet will join other young ones in groups, but will return to its parents, who recognize its vocalizations, when it is hungry. (This is said to be easy for the parents because flaminglets begin vocalizing before they hatch!) After approximately three weeks the flaminglet will be able to find its own food.

Answer: Tongue

Although not typically associated with Italy today, scientists believe that flamingos might have been living there in ancient times, as many are found today in coastal areas of France, Portugal, Spain, and on the island of Sardinia. Marcus Gavius Apicius, a food connoisseur from the first century AD, is sometimes given credit for a cookbook, "Apicius", and, according to the historian Pliny, wrote that flamingo tongue "was of a superb flavour". Although the recipe for the preparation of such a delicacy has not been found, his cookbook did include recipes for flamingo meatballs and a sauce for flavor enhancement. William Dampier, a well-known English pirate, wrote about the flavor of flamingo in his journal as well, describing "a dish of flamingo's tongues (as) being fit for a prince's table".

Even though the body parts of a flamingo are said to be edible, hunting flamingos for human food is illegal in the United States, as there is a law that protects migratory birds from hunters.

Answer: No one knows for sure

The truth of the matter is that the three wrong choices are actually theories that scientists have tested without being able to make a definite conclusion. Some also think that standing on one leg might reduce the number of parasites to which a flamingo may be exposed. Or perhaps standing on one leg makes it easier on the heart, as it would take less energy to pump blood to just one leg. Or maybe standing on one leg is better camouflage as it makes the bird look more like a reed or small tree trunk.

The theories go on and on! It is true, however, that flamingos can stand on one leg for four hours at a time, and they typically even sleep in that position.

Answer: Bahamas

According to the website of The Government of the Bahamas, more than 50,000 flamingos are found on Great Inagua and have been protected by the government since 1959. The species, called the American flamingo, West Indian flamingo, or Caribbean flamingo (Phoenicopterus ruber), was also found in other areas of the Bahamas historically, however, many were killed or taken away and sold.

Not only is the flamingo the national bird of the Bahamas, its image is also found on country's coat of arms, representing the country's land animals.

It is said that flamingos symbolize beauty, uniqueness, and long life. (A marlin represents the country's sea animals on its coat of arms).