In the wild, flocks of thousands to
tens of thousands strong of flamingo birds engage in group displays that are among the
largest and most elaborate known, and now researchers are finally paying
attention to the nature of that crowd consciousness, and to the private lives
of the Necco-pink enigmas behind it.
For all their public popularity,
flamingos turn out to be poorly understood scientifically, and only lately have
researchers ventured answers to basic questions like why the birds spend so
much time perched on one leg, and contort their heads backward before settling
down for the night; how they keep their feathers so “Miami Vice” bright, and
select a well-suited mate from the deafening throng.
“Flamingos can be difficult to
study in the wild,” said Felicity Arengo, a flamingo expert with the American
Museum of Natural History in Manhattan. “They live in remote locations and
extreme environments, they move around a lot, and it’s hard to mark enough
individuals to get a decent sample size.”
As a result, she added “a lot of
research is still in the natural history and exploration phase.” But the tedium
of the fieldwork is offset by the glory of the sight. “Every time I see them, I
am absolutely amazed,” Dr. Arengo said. “They are the coolest-looking bird in
the world.”
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