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