Just Lawn Ornaments in the US
BIRD BRAINS: Inside the Strange Minds of Our Fine Feathered Friends (ISBN: 978-0-7267-8755-5)
by
Budd Titlow
While living in Florida, I became very fond of flamingos. Problem is, these lean and lanky pink shrimp-eaters don’t really live wild in the Sunshine State. Based on how often and prominently these birds are displayed on postcards and as souvenirs, out-of-state visitors get the idea that wild flamingos live all over Florida! From a distance, they do look a lot like roseate spoonbills, large pink birds that are found throughout the state. American or greater flamingos primarily nest and live in the other Americas—Central and South, as well as the Caribbean.
A flock of American Flamingos (Phoenicopterus ruber) feed on wild shrimp in a Mexican estuary.
Oh a few Florida flamingos did manage to escape from a flock ill-advisedly introduced at Miami’s Hialeah Race Track way back in the 1930s. But now—with rare exceptions—the only flamingos in the state are captive either in zoos or theme parks.
The name flamingo is derived from the Spanish word flamenco meaning “firey quality,” referring to the bright pink feathers that make these birds so instantly recognizable. Considered one of world’s ten most beautiful avian species, flamingos are actually found throughout the world with five separate species living in large colonies in the estuaries and saline lakes of Africa, Asia, and Europe as well as the Americas. Despite their delicately fragile appearance—with legs longer than the rest of their bodies, flamingos are actually pretty rugged individuals, living everywhere from hot volcanic lakes to icy waters in the Andes Mountains.
Another misconception—Flamingos do not spend a lot of time standing on one leg just to show off. They do this to conserve energy and body heat by keeping one foot at a time warm. Adult flamingos stand six feet tall, with spindly, pink, stilt-like legs that have forward-bending ankle joints located where knee joints would be on any other bird. They also have sprawling webbed feet that they use to scare the bejabbers out of shrimp, crabs, and other critters crawling around on muddy pond bottoms. Wedge-shaped heads with beady yellow eyes and broad, bent beaks sit high atop their S-curving necks. This is so flamingos can hold their breath, dunk their heads underwater, turn their bills upside-down, and swoosh their heads from side-to-side while looking backwards.
Sound like a contortionist in a circus sideshow? Yes, it does look pretty silly, but it’s actually how these wacky-looking birds eat. Flamingos are filter feeders just like humpback whales. They sweep their heads along the bottoms of shallow ponds and lakes, trapping water and food in their mouths. Then they use their tongues to force the water out through comb-like structures called lamellae—equivalent to the baleen lining a whale’s mouth—trapping the food which they then gulp down.
So the next time you’re sightseeing in Florida, don’t expect to see large flocks of flamingos standing around everywhere. Not unless you want to count those flamboyant pink lawn ornaments, which, by the way, aren’t native either. Don Featherstone, a sculptor from Massachusetts, invented them in 1957—just check for his signature under the statue’s tail!
Text excerpted from book: BIRD BRAINS: Inside the Strange Minds of Our Fine Feathered Friends, written by Budd Titlow and published by Lyons Press (an imprint of Globe Pequot Press). Photo credit: Copyright Zixian/Shutterstock.com
Author’s bio: For the past 50 years, professional ecologist and conservationist Budd Titlow has used his pen and camera to capture the awe and wonders of our natural world. His goal has always been to inspire others to both appreciate and enjoy what he sees. Now he has one main question: Can we save humankind’s place — within nature’s beauty — before it’s too late? Budd’s two latest books are dedicated to answering this perplexing dilemma. PROTECTING THE PLANET: Environmental Champions from Conservation to Climate Change, a non-fiction book, examines whether we still have the environmental heroes among us — harking back to such past heroes as Audubon, Hemenway, Muir, Douglas, Leopold, Brower, Carson, and Meadows — needed to accomplish this goal. Next, using fact-filled and entertaining story-telling, his latest book — COMING FULL CIRCLE: A Sweeping Saga of Conservation Stewardship Across America — provides the answers we all seek and need. Having published five books, more than 500 photo-essays, and 5,000 photographs, Budd Titlow lives with his music educator wife, Debby, in San Diego, California.
This Birding Life 