Efraim Harari

Check out our site: 
www.thejewishworldofwonderskidsmagazine.com 

Exploring thE Wild World of AnimAls is prEsEntEd By:

The Flamingo

The flamingo has a very distinctive way of 
feeding – it eats upside down! When feeding, 
the flamingo thrusts its head into the water in 
an upside-down position. This helps the flamingo 
scoop up beak-fulls of mud with its bill. Then the 
bird filters out the mud and water through the 
comb-like arrangement it has in its bill (called 
lamellae), thus retaining only what is edible.
Another interesting aspect regarding the 
flamingo’s eating habits is the fact that these birds 
get their famous pink or orange color from the 
food they eat. This shows us that truly, “you are 
what you eat!”
We, too, need to be careful about what we put 
in our bodies. We need to filter out anything that 
could harm our body – both physically or spiritually. 
That is why when we eat kosher food, we are not 
only doing a mitzvah, we are also building our 
bodies out of “mitzvah material.”

Torah Talk 

Q 
: Why does a flamingo 
 stand on one leg? 
A
: Because if it lifted both legs 
 off the ground, it would fall down! 
Did You 
Know?

The name Flamingo 
comes from the 
Portuguese or Spanish 
word flamengo, which 
means “with the color 
of flame.”

F

lamingos are tall, elegant, beautifully colored birds that live and 
feed in shallow waters. While there are six different species of 
flamingos, the general anatomy of them all is basically the same: 
long legs, long neck, curved bill, webbed feet, yellow eyes, and, of 
course, a colorful plumage. (Plumage is the layer of feathers that cover 
a bird’s body). 

Colors of the flamingo’s plumage include various shades of pink, 
crimson red, shades of orange, and mixtures of cream and white. 
The coloring of the flamingo comes from the rich sources of beta 
carotene found in the food flamingos consume, such as algae and 
small crustaceans.

Flamingos enjoy regions that have muddy, alkaline waters (waters 
with high concentrations of sodium chloride and other dissolved 
salts), such as lakes and swamps filled with small insects, algae, and 
crustaceans. Alkaline waters are too salty and caustic for most other 
creatures, which works out to be quite beneficial for the flamingos, as 
it keeps them safe from many potential predators. 

The flamingo’s body is well-equipped for its environment. Its 
webbed feet helps the flamingo to wade through the muddy waters 
in search of food; its tall, thin legs enable it to keep its body dry while 
in the water; and with its long neck, the flamingo can bend all the way 
downward, so that its head and bill can easily reach the bottom of the 
shallow waters. A flamingo is also able to hold its breath for several 
minutes at a time while its head is under the water, looking for food.

JUST FOR KIDS

46 | JULY 4 • 2024 

