Why and How Flamingos produce Milk

the ability to produce milk for the nourishment of the young is something we automatically attribute to mammals however mammals aren't the only animals with the ability to produce equations for their babies there are few animals outside the mammalian clay that have a very similar ability flamingos are one of them [Music] [Applause] besides pigeons and emperor penguins flamingos are the only birds with the ability to reduce those special secretions to feed their chicks commonly known as crop know the reasons for this however vary between the three in case of flamingos it has to do with a unique feeding technique that requires a highly specialized beak but because this beak is still undeveloped after hatching their chicks are need of liquid food during the first few months of their lives flamingos beaks are unique in the bird Kingdom as they don't consist of a smaller lower peak that works against a larger upper one instead the upper bill is the moveable of the tool while being much smaller this is an adaptation to their way of feeding as flamingos use their beaks in an upside-down manner this is because instead of actively catching prey like most other water living birds they are filter feeders very similar to baleen whales to achieve this if flamingos first sucks water into its built central group by pulling its tongue backwards then it closes its mouth and uses the tongue to force the water out again through a comb like structure on the upper beak the flamingos may repeat the cycle for up to four times the second filtering out everything in the water it had previously stirred up with its feet mainly algae and small crustaceans this food is also what gives flamingos their pink color as it contains carotenoids red pigments that are very common in nature and our for example also responsible for carrots and tomatoes red color over the months and years these pigments accumulate in the flamingo's body which slowly turns their normally white or gray feathers pink or red for roughly two months after hatching why the beaks of the chicks develop they are fed by their parents have fed and protein rich liquid that is secreted by special glands lining the entire upper digestive tract the crop max equation is caused by the hormone prolactin the same protein that stimulates milk production in mammals but in flamingos both male and female produce it in terms of nutritional content and composition flamingo milk is very similar to actual look but it has one striking difference rich and red blood cells and the same pigment that colors their feathers it has a bright red color while we on the subject of flamingos here are three more facts you might not know about them one this is not a flamingos knee it's it's ankle and it has the ability to snap shut locking the foot to leg joint in place which allows flamingos to stand without using muscle power its knee is all the way up inside its tousle and it has the same function as our hip joint to angle the leg as a whole to flamingos are monogamous once they're made they tend to stay with a mate for the rest of their lives which could be a long time in the wild that can reach an age of over 50 with the average being between 20 to 30 years in captivity they can live to be over 83 flamingos have another thing in common with humans besides nursing their young they use mega the oil that flamingos like most birds produce in special glands to preen themselves has a similar reddish color as their milk and is used by them to deliberately boost the color on the necks breasts and she to look more attractive to mates [Music]

Channel: Facts in Motion

Views: 307,026

Keywords: Flamingo, flamingos, flamingos nursing, flamingo chicks, flamingo milk, milk, food, science, birds, biology, animal facts, motiongraphic, infographic, animation, education, breeding

Id: YhRjR9VC6Q4

Length: 4min 13sec (253 seconds)

Published: Thu Apr 05 2018