Flamingo Facts for Kids

20 Flamingo Facts For Kids

1. Flamingo is the common name for a group of wading birds that are members of the Phoenicopteridae family.
2. Flamingos are easy to identify by their long necks, downward shaped beaks, backwards long legs, and flamboyant colors.
3. Flamingos are omnivorous, which means they eat both meat and plant material.
4. Flamingos are known as filter feeders, with their typical diet including brine shrimp, blue-green algae, crustaceans, insects, insect larvae, and mollusks.
5. All flamingo species are social birds and live together in large groups called colonies or flocks.
6. Some flamingo colonies can have thousands of individuals.
7. There are six living species of flamingos.
8. Flamingo species belong to one of two groups, Old World flamingos and New World Flamingos.
9. There are two flamingo species in the Old World group, the Greater flamingo (Phoenicopterus roseus) and the Lesser flamingo (Phoeniconaias minor).
10. There are four flamingo species in the New World group, Chilean flamingo (Phoenicopterus chilensis), James's flamingo (Phoenicoparrus jamesi), Andean flamingo (Phoenicoparrus andinus), and American flamingo (Phoenicopterus ruber).
11. The habitat range for flamingos includes Africa, Asia, Europe, North and South America.
12. New World flamingo species (found) are found in North and South America.
13. Old World flamingo species (two) are found in Africa, Asia, and Europe.
14. Flamingos have a weight range between 2.6 and 10 pounds.
15. Flamingos have a height range between 31 and 59 inches.
16. Flamingos have a wingspan range between 37 and 59 inches.
17. The largest flamingo species is the greater flamingo which can weigh as much as 10 pounds.
18. The smallest flamingo species is the lessor flamingo which can weigh as little as 2.6 pounds.
19. Flamingos have a lifespan between 20 and 40 years, depending on species, genetics, and geographical location.
20. The confirmed oldest living flamingo was Greater (Flamingo 1), a greater flamingo who was an attraction at the Adelaide Zoo in Australia. It was confirmed that Greater was at least 83 years old when it passed away.

Flamingo Pictures

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then the below images will be helpful for your research on flamingos. Below are three pictures of various flamingo species. These pictures should help you better understand the different types of flamingos found around the world.

A picture of the Greater flamingo (Phoenicopterus roseus).

A picture of the Lesser flamingo (Phoeniconaias minor).

A picture of the American flamingo (Phoenicopterus ruber).