A new analysis of flamingo feeding habits reveals the birds stir water into swirling vortices to help pull food within reach.
Known for their pink plumage and high-stepping gait, flamingos stand out in another way as well. They are so adept at filtering out tiny shrimp, worms, and other mud-dwelling critters that they thrive in food-poor environments that most birds shy away from, including salt flats, alkaline lakes, and hot springs.
Ortega-Jiménez and colleagues from the Georgia Institute of Technology and Kennesaw State University used sophisticated imaging techniques and computer programs to analyze the wading and feeding behaviors of Chilean flamingos at the Nashville Zoo, and they tested their ideas with 3D-printed models of flamingo heads. They found the birds stir the water into swirling vortices that help pull food within reach.
“These behaviors that look kind of silly are generating these really useful water flows,” says Elizabeth Brainerd, a functional morphologist at Brown University who was not involved with the work. “That’s unexpected … and quite elegant.”
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