Flamingos are large pink wading birds that congregate in huge gregarious flocks at saline lakes and coastal lagoons. All flamingos except those in the Galapagos Islands are obligate colonial species and breeding success is tightly linked to colony size. Breeding displays involving large numbers of flamingos which parade in densely packed formations are essential for the flamingos breeding success. Flamingos build a mound of mud and lay a single white egg. They feed their chick a milk-like substance which is produced by glands in the digestive tract. Both parents feed the chick in this way until it is about two months old and the beak is developed enough for filter feeding. About three weeks after the chick hatches the parents will no longer attend to it constantly. Instead all the chicks will congregate in a crèche which is attended by very few adults. The parents return to feed the chick throughout the day and night. When threatened by a predator the chicks pack tightly together making it difficult for the predator to single one individual out for attack.  Flamingos are filter feeders and use their uniquely shaped beaks to sift brine shrimp, algae and small crustaceans from the mud and silt. The beak of a flamingo has hair like structures called lamellae and a rough textured tongue. When the flamingo feeds the head is inverted and the flamingo moves its head from side to side straining the water through its beak. The pink coloring of all flamingo species is due to the beta-carotene in their diet which the flamingo metabolizes especially well. Young flamingos have grey plumage and will undergo a series of molts before they attain their adult coloration at two to three years of age. Little study has been made of molt in flamingos and the frequency and progression of molt in adult birds is unknown. In regions of very secure food source flamingos are known to undergo a simultaneous molt of their flight feathers rendering them flightless for four weeks. In older birds a lack of color may be a sign of poor health or malnutrition. Deep coloration is important in attracting a mate as it is indicative of a strong healthy bird. Captive birds need supplements in order to maintain their pink color as they will not obtain what they need from their diet. There are two old world species and four new world species of flamingo. The flamingos were long considered members of the Ciconiiformes, the long legged waders, but they also show some characteristics of the Anseriformes, the water fowl. Consequently Flamingos have been placed in their own order, the Phoenicopteriformes. Conservation Concerns While populations of some species of flamingo are considered stable, habitat loss of vital wetlands, ever increasing  human population pressure, industrial and agricultural pollution, and disturbance from increasing tourism at their breeding grounds pose a continuous and ever increasing threat to all flamingo species and other wetland birds around the world. To learn more visit BirdLife International