LAB 1

By Zainab

Flamingo

Introduction:-

Flamingos or flamingoesare gregarious wading birds .There are four flamingo species in the Americas and two species in the Old World. A wide variety of birds have been proposed as their closest relatives, on a wide variety of evidence. To reflect the uncertainty about this matter, flamingos are generally placed in their own order.

Taxonomy:-

Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Infraclass:	Neognathae
Order:	Phoenicopteriformes
Family:	Phoenicopteridae
Genus:	Phoenicopterus

Habitat:-

• Flamingos are found in tropical and subtropical climates. They live in a variety of habitats including lagoons, large alkaline lakes, swamps, islands and shallow marshes.

• Flamingos make their nests in a high mound of mud. Both males and females take part in the building of nests and incubating the egg.

• Although flamingos are normally migratory birds, they may migrate to warmer areas due to drought, lack of food or climate change.
• Flamingos are not usually found in lake areas that are populated with fish. They prefer areas where they do not have to compete with the fish for food.
• Alkaline rocks, saline rocks, ponds are common places. Without vegetation places are preferred also found in sandy places.

Biological importance:-

Scientists have discovered that flamingos are dying by the thousands along the Great Rift Valley lakes of Kenya and Tanzania. However, they are baffled as to the reason. Possible causes include avian cholera, botulism, metal poisoning, pesticides or poisonous bacteria, say researchers. Also, fears for the future of the Lesser Flamingo have been raised by plans to pipe water from one of their key breeding areas, the shores of Lake Natron. The lakes are crucial to the birds' breeding success because the flamingos feed off the blooms of cyanobacteria that thrive there.

Economic importance:-

• In Ancient Rome, flamingo tongues were considered a delicacy.
• Andean miners have killed flamingos for their fat, believed to be a cure for tuberculosis.
• Ancient Egyptians believed flamingos to be the living representation of the god Ra.
• The Moche people of ancient Peru worshipped nature. They placed emphasis on animals and often depicted flamingos in their art.

• Pink plastic flamingo statues are popular lawn ornaments in the United States.
• Flamingos are the national bird of The Bahamas.

Ecological importance:-

Five million world wide species and less than 30 major breeding sites, besides there healthy population number mankind is destroying their feeding and breeding places.