Wetland habits for wetland birds
How are flamingos adapted for their wetland habitats? What can you spot on your next visit to your local WWT flamingo flock that shows how these birds are wetland specialists?
Each of the six flamingo species are tied to wetland environments. Without wetlands, there would be no flamingos. Some of the wetlands that flamingos thrive best in are harsh, unyielding places- extreme water chemistry and full of toxic algae that the birds love to eat. Other wetlands are most hospitable, meaning that flamingos co-exist alongside of other bird species. So how are flamingos adapted to a wetland lifestyle and what features do they possess that make them adapted to these habitats?
Productive wetlands can be full of life. With many species living within them, trying to find its own place, collecting enough food to survive. To reduce competition between all of these species, different ways of living in specific parts of a wetland habitat have evolved. Animals have "niches", i.e. roles they play in the ecosystem, which means they can coexist with others. You can see different niches in action in this video below, of the South Lake at WWT Slimbridge in the autumn.
Numerous species of ducks and wading bird have gathered together to find food in the lake. Despite the number of birds and the number of species seen here, there is little to no competition for resources (i.e. food). The different shapes of the bird's bills and their different feeding strategies keep them separate, whilst allowing them to share the same space.
Flamingos are an incredible example of how evolution has shaped a bird's appearance so that it can "fit" into its specific part of the wetland habitat.
Flamingos are expert at filtering food particles from the water column. The birds can sieve out anything from small fish (in the case of the greater flamingo) to microscopic floating blue-green algae that is lunch (and breakfast and dinner) for the lesser flamingo. The bills of flamingos might like cumbersome and heavy, but they are essential to how these birds make a living in the wetland they inhabit. Without these unusual shaped beaks, flamingos could not collect algae or aquatic crustaceans and consequently would not be able to produce their famous pink colours.
Flamingos are incredibly dexterous with their bills. As can be seen in this video of a preening Andean flamingo. The bird is able to isolate an individual feather and can carefully clean this feather with its bill; delicately zipping the filaments of this feather back together to ensure that its whole plumage remains watertight and well care for. Caring for their feathers so precisely is another way that flamingos are adapted to their wetlands. The salty or caustic waters can be damaging if left on the body for too long. Keeping feathers in the best possible condition, keeps the birds safe from harm. Even in the freshwater at WWT centres, flamingos still retain this "must be clean" behaviour.
Flamingos use their bills in a wide variety of ways when foraging (looking for and collecting food). Depending on species, flamingos will be able to collect food from the top of the water's surface, from the water column itself, and from the bottom of their pond or lake. Gloopy wetland mud can be a great source of tasty treats!
Greater, Caribbean and Chilean flamingos can gobble up relatively large particles from mud, water and both. Stamping their feet up and down to stir up potential food. Lesser, James's and Andean flamingos are more specialised and more refined- they are more likely to filter delicately from the water's surface. Check out Mr James in the video below- that's some precision filter feeding!
Flamingos are tall, for a bird. Even the diminutive lesser flamingo is taller than many other waterbirds around it. This height is another adaptation to living in a wetland environment. Long legs, covered in tough scales (a hint back to their reptilian ancestors) means that flamingos can wade around, and remain unharmed, in caustic or very hot water of their soda lake homes. Or, in the case of the Caribbean flamingos (in the video below) that like to live near the seaside, they can keep their beautiful feathers away from the salty water.
Wading around in their wetland homes allows flamingos to search for food in deeper waters than other species. Again, this means they avoid competition and can collect food more efficiently. The flamingos won't be wasting effort and energy trying to fend off others who want their food too. Check out the video of the wild greater flamingos in a South African wetland, below; a whole range of other birds live here too. But the flamingos are wading out in deep water and hence can occupy this part of the wetland where other species are not able to follow.
We see this separation of species based on their ecology in so many ways. Perhaps one of the most obvious ways for visitors to WWT Slimbridge to see how bird species reduce competition by feeding in their own unique way is in the Swan Lake enclosure, right at the start of your journey around the grounds. Treat the birds (and yourself!) to a bag of grain from the entrance desk, and throw a few handfulls to the mute swans, mallards and tufted ducks that live in Swan Lake. And watch how the birds all collect the grain without getting in each other's way- using different types of feeding activity. Here's a preview for any budding ecologists in the video below. Happy bird behaviour spotting!
