Alana salinas

Period 4
9/25/19
Galapagos Flamingo

A Galapagos flamingo is a flamingo that can be found in shallow water

.Galapagos is located by the paific ocean right on the equator line and 605 miles to the

west of south american and people like to travel to galapagos island for a vacation and

they subba dive, go hiking, go swimming, and go snorkeling. You can also find

interesting animals over there besides flamingo.There are different parts or areas in

Galapagos.

To start off, the Galapagos flamingo has a long neck and legs and weighs about

6 pounds with a wingspan of 50 to 60 inches. This flamingo is bright pink,flight feathers

are black,wing coverts are red,legs are pink, and their beaks are pink and have a black

tip.Most flamingo are these types of colors.​The bright pink ​color ​of ​flamingos comes

from beta carotene, a red-orange pigment that's found in high numbers within the algae,

larvae, and brine shrimp that ​flamingos​ eat in ​their​ wetland environment.

Another fact,they stay with the same mate for a lifetime and they do not mate

until 6 years of age. There is no difference in sexes or coloring.A group of flamingos will

all mate at the same time so that all of the chicks will hatch at the same time.Also to find

a mate, both males and females participate in elaborate group dances, which consist of

different moves. Their mating displays usually begin with the thing called head flag in

which the flamingos call loudly while they extend their heads and wave them back and

forth.
 Also,​Both  the  male  and  female  Galapagos  flamingo  participate  in  building  nests 

with  the  use  of  their  beaks.  Nests  are  made  from  mud,  small  stones,  straw,  and 

feathers.  The  flamingos  build  a  tall  mound  for  the  nest  up  to  12  inches  high  in order to 

protect  the  offspring  from  heat  and  flooding.  The female flamingo usually lays only one 

egg  at  a  time,  and  both  parents  sit  on  the  nest.  Nesting  is  done  in  colonies  with  large 

numbers  of  chicks  born  within  the  same  time  period.  The  colonies  are  stable  and  tend 

to  return to the same nesting location year after year unless the habitat is disturbed by a 

natural occurrence or human encroachment. 

Lastly,  the  galapagos  flamingo  is  a  beautiful  animal  and  i  thought  i  knew 

everything  about  a  flamingo  but  in  the  sources  I  read  I  learned  many  more  things  that 

made  me  want  to  learn  more  about  this animal. You can also visit the Galapagos island 

and they have many things to do there such as hiking,scuba diving, and swimming.