



Exhibit in Chicago Natural History Museum 



Fl 



aminsos 



Flamingos are familiar to everyone who has read Alice in Wonderland. Far from being 

 creatures of fantasy, however, they form a very distinct family, widely distributed in 

 the tropical and temperate zones of both hemispheres. Although popularly regarded 

 as characteristic of the warmer parts of the world, these grotesque birds also occur 

 in western Siberia and locally in the Andes southward to Tierra del Fuego in South 

 America. Fossil remains from Denmark, from the State of Oregon, and elsewhere 

 further attest to their great antiquity and cosmopolitan distribution. 



Only three genera and six species of flamingo exist today. All are fundamentally 

 alike in structure, color, and habits. The oddly formed beak attracts immediate atten- 

 tion and is unique among birds. Examination of the lower mandible shows it to be 

 formed like a deep box into which the upper mandible fits like a lid. As with ducks, the 

 edges of the beak are provided with minute grooves, a feeding adaptation that acts as a 

 sieve and permits liquids to drain away while solid particles are retained. The flamingo 

 feeds principally on minute crustaceans, mollusks, and aquatic plants, which it obtains 

 by inverting the beak under the water so that the tip points to the rear while the bird 

 feeds. The reproductive capacity of these minute organisms, required in vast numbers 

 to sustain flocks of such large birds, is one of the marvels of nature. 



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