Caribbean Flamingo Exhibit at the Philadelphia Zoo

When visiting the Bird Valley at the Philadelphia Zoo, one of the most popular birds you will find is the Flamingo Exhibit. These birds are initially found in the Caribbean Islands, Northern coast of South America, Galapagos Islands, and the Yucutan Pennisula. The exhibit contains seventeen vibrantly colored flamingo’s that draw the attention of kids and families. There are eight male flamingos and nine females. They can be distinguished by gender from the tags on their legs. Males have a band on their right leg and females have a band on their left leg. The vibrant pink color of the Flamingos comes from the food they eat, which includes pink shrimp, algae, and tiny mollusks. “Well we both have daughters, and we thought they would be interested in seeing their pretty colors. They really like the birdies,” said a zoo visiter.

By visiting the exhibit, each person can leave with a basic understanding of the life of a Caribbean Flamingo. The tourist were able to visually see the birds conduct different actions such as Head-flogging, Wing-salute, Twist-preen, and Marching. The Wing-salute grabbed the attention of the people, as the bird spread open its wings to the side and held the position for everyone to see. “My favorite part was definitely when the flamingo spread its wings, I’ve never seen something like it before and my kids thought that it was really cool. I was able to get a picture of it too,” said Gregg McCallister.

Flamingos are typically found in shallow saltwater lagoons and lakes. Within their exhibit at the zoo, half of their home is greenland, leaving the other half to be shallow water and marshy land. Most of the Flamingos resided along the edges of the water while the others rested in a twist-preen on one leg.

Among Bird valley, the Caribbean Flamingo exhibit at the Philadelphia Zoo is one of the most popular. With their vibrant and fun appeal, they bring the tropics to Philadelphia.