Flamingos are typically found in shallow saltwater or brackish waters (where saltwater and freshwater mix). But some flamingo species breed and raise their young in extremely salty bodies of water, called alkaline or “soda” lakes. The high concentration of carbonate salts in these lakes is so corrosive that it can burn the skin, making the water uninhabitable for most animals.
Why are Flamingos Pink? And Other Flamingo Facts
A flamingo’s nest looks like a mini mud volcano, with room for one large egg. Flamingos are monogamous, and mom and dad are team players. Both help to build the nest and incubate the egg. Flamingo chicks hatch with white-gray, downy feathers and straight bills. It takes several years for them to acquire their signature pink color and hook-shaped bills.
The Smithsonian’s National Zoo has been home to flamingos since around its founding more than 130 years ago. Bird House keepers have worked to breed flamingos since the early ‘90s and have welcomed more than 120 chicks over the years!
Flamingos get their pink color from their food.
Flamingos really are what they eat. Many plants produce natural red, yellow or orange pigments, called carotenoids. Carotenoids give carrots their orange color or turn ripe tomatoes red. They are also found in the microscopic algae that brine shrimp eat. As a flamingo dines on algae and brine shrimp, its body metabolizes the pigments — turning its feathers pink.
The term filter feeder may conjure images of baleen whales or oyster reefs, but flamingos are filter feeders too. They eat algae, small seeds, tiny crustaceans (like brine shrimp), fly larvae, and other plants and animals that live in shallow waters.
When it’s time to eat, a flamingo will place its head upside down in the water with its bill pointed at its feet. It then sweeps its head side-to-side, using its tongue to pump water in and out of its bill. Comb-like plates along the edge of the bill create a filter for water to rush out, while trapping food inside.
A group of flamingos is called a flamboyance.
A group of crows is called a murder, and a group of geese is called a gaggle. So, what is a group of flamingos called? A flamboyance! Other collective nouns for flamingos include stand, colony and pat.
The Zoo’s historic Bird House may be closed for renovations, but keepers continue to care for more than 60 Caribbean flamingos (also called American flamingos) behind the scenes. In the wild, flamingos sometimes gather by the thousands! Scientists estimate that there are more than 200,000 Caribbean flamingos in the wild, with populations in the Bahamas and Cuba, Mexico, and the Southern Caribbean — as well as a small group of about 400-500 in the Galápagos Islands.
Christmas Flamingo Santa
Do you celebrate Christmas under a palm tree? Or perhaps on a beach? For this Canadian born gal, it took a good long time to get used to walks on the beach on Christmas Day. But after 27 years in sunny California, I’m happy to declare my holidays are warm, sunny and even a bit sandy.
For all the tropical and southern hemisphere Holiday teachers, here’s a twist on a seasonal art project for your students. Our Christmas Flamingo features a sparkly Santa hat and a warm, breezy ocean.
Follow along with me, step-by-step in my full YouTube tutorial video…
What You’ll Need:
- 12” x 18” blue sulphite paper
- 12” x 18” pink sulphite paper
- Liquid tempera paints (brown, white, blue and green)
- Black crayon or oil pastel
- Scrap of red and white paper.
- Tissue paper (pink, red and white)
- Paintbrush, glue and scissors
- * White coffee filters if you don’t have white tissue paper
- * Sequins. Totally not necessary. I just couldn’t help it.
Download the November monthly drawing guide by clicking on the image below.
Painting the Background
Start this project with the background so that it will have time to dry before adding the flamingo.
Dip a brush into the white paint and dab clouds over the colored paper.
Without cleaning the brush, dip into blue and green paint and paint a horizontal line just below the clouds.
Fill about 1/2 the paper with the blue ocean.
Encourage kids to paint right off the edge of the paper.
Wipe brush on placemat to clean. Dip paint in brown and paint the bottom ⅓ of the paper with the brown paint to create sand.
Clean brush in water and dab on a paper towel to dry.
Dip into white paint again and add some splashes for waves. The paint might get mixed with the blue paint, but that’s great!
Set aside to dry.
Drawing the Flamingo
Download the step-by-step How to Draw a Flamingo guide by clicking on the November Freebie Link below or watch the drawing steps in the video.
On a sheet of pink paper, draw the flamingo with a crayon. You can also use white paper and paint the flamingo. Option is yours!
Cut out flamingo, turn over so the crayon side is on the back. Cut out a beak. Color in the tip of the beak with black pastel and draw a circle for the eye.
Glue flamingo to the background and the beak to the flamingo.
Now you’re ready for the hat.
Making the Santa Hat
Place the red paper near the top of the flamingo head. Make a mark with a crayon to indicate how wide the head is. Draw a hat using the measurements made on the paper. Children can create a traditional red Santa’s hat or create their own version.
Cut out hat shape and glue on flamingo.
Use white tissue paper or a coffee flitter to rip and scrunch the furry trim. Glue the areas on the hat first and then stick the crumpled up balls of tissue paper on the hat.
This next step is optional but rather fun: adding glitter or sequins. I opted to dot the hat with glue and drop sequins on. The biggest benefit of this activity is NOT the bling, but the repetitive action of carefully placing a tiny sequin on the glue. Kids LOVE this and will keep them working quietly for a good 4 ½ minutes.
And we all can use 4 ½ minutes of quiet.
Another option is featured in the video…watch the very end to see a few extra details I added.
I can’t wait to see what your students have done!
What is your favorite part of this project?
DOWNLOAD the handout below by clicking the yellow button above. Add your name and email and we’ll send it straight to you!
