WildView™

June 13, 2014

Think Pink – Flamingo Dads

- as seen by -

Ken Huth

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Nothing says Father’s Day like pink flamingos, right? No?

Well it should.

Flamingos are great dads. Chilean Flamingos all nest very close together in mounds of mud that they build up from the moist ground on the salt flats of western South America.

Flamingo fathers get the nomination for “Dad of the Year” because they defend their chick and nest from predators and all the other flamingos close by. They also help feed the chicks with their crop milk. Both flamingo parents produce crop milk, which is not like mammal milk. Crop milk is a secretion from the bird’s crop (an expansion of the esophagus used for storing food) that is higher in fat and protein than mammal milk. It is the sole source of nourishment for young flamingo chicks.

So this Father’s Day, think pink, and thank a flamingo!

Nikon D2X

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