Skip to main content

James's Flamingo

Phoenicoparrus jamesi
The James's Flamingo is a small South American species that lives high up in the plateaus of the Andean Mountains. They feed off of different algae and diatoms that are found in high elevation saline lakes. Like all Flamingos  they are excellent filter feeders, and use their long necks and curved bills to dunk their faces in the water and snatch up tiny meals.

This species is the palest pink of all the Flamingos, and can also be told apart by their red eye patches, bright yellow bills, and orange legs. They are named for naturalist Henry Berkeley James, who went on expeditions to the Andes in order to collect species of natural flora and fauna in the late 19th century.

James's Flamingos have a favorite breeding location -- Laguna Colorada in Bolivia. They gather there in the thousands, and perform giant group displays prior to finding a mate. Once mates are selected, the two birds will stay together until one dies. They produce only one egg each season, laying it on a volcano-shaped nest built out of mud. Chicks are born with fluffy grey feathers, but will gradually lighten and turn more pink over time. It can take up to six years to reach sexual maturity.

IUCN Status : Near Threatened
Location : South America
Size : Length up to 3ft (.9m)
Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Aves -- Order : Phoenicopteriformes
Family : Phoenicopteridae -- Genus : Phoenicoparrus -- Species : P. jamesi
Image : Pimenta

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Bornean Orangutan

The Bornean Orangutan is one of two extant Orangutan species in the world. It is the third largest primate (after Gorillas) and is the largest primarily tree-dwelling animal in the world. Males are substantially larger than females, and average at around 165lbs. Bornean Orangutans are largely solitary. A handful might live within a small range but they will seldom interact with one another. Males and females only meet up to breed, which happens only once every several years. A young Orangutan will stay with it's mother for about five years, and the females tend to go about eight years between births. That is the longest interim period of any animal! Sadly, the Bornean Orangutans are in a lot of trouble. They need large forests in order to thrive, and deforestation and habitat degradation has left many homeless. They are also hunted for meat and for traditional medicines. Conservation areas are being established to help these guys in the wild, and it is believed that there are a

Four!

For anyone who was counting, yesterday was our birthday-- four years! Four years filled with animals from A to Z, more than 1,100 of them! I can't thank my readers enough, it's been wonderful! And in celebration of that milestone... I'm taking a break. Hopefully not forever, but for a little bit at least. In the mean time I plan on getting a new layout out, along with some updates to some of the older articles. I'll post updates here and on the Facebook page, I'm also brainstorming some new animal-related projects, so keep an eye out! Thanks again for four awesome years!

Halloween Crab

Gecarcinus quadratus The Halloween Crab goes by many names, including the Red Land Crab, Whitespot Crab, and Moon Crab. I personally like Halloween Crab though, since it really reflects the interesting colors. They have black carapaces, orange-red legs, and purple claws! Halloween Crabs live in the Pacific coast mangroves and forests of Central and South America. They actually live in the forests as adults, and return to the ocean in order to reproduce. Did you know that they live as far away as 18 miles (30km)  from water? Not where you normally think Crabs to be! While living in the forest, the Crabs forage nocturnally for different plant matter, including leaves and sapling. They also dig long burrows into the ground for protection. These burrows can measure nearly 5 ft long! Halloween Crabs are sometimes kept in captivity, and can be very tricky pets due to their excellent climbing skills. IUCN Status :  Not Listed Location :   Cent