Flamingos

The Caribbean Flamingos were one of the many highlights of Ardastra Gardens.  Notice how brilliant the flamingos' color is? Their color comes from the carotenoids in their diet.  The garden adds carotenoid supplements to bring out their striking color.
A baby flamingo is white or gray. It takes three to five years for these unique birds to reach maturity. In the wilds, they can live to be anywhere between twenty and forty.  In captivity, if lucky, they might live to be seventy. A greater flamingo lived to the age of eighty-three in a zoo in Australia.
They are monogamous creatures. After the flamingo wedding they stay faithful to their mate.

This crew had a human 'drill sergeant' that herded them into the arena and marched them around in a circle where they would stop before each group of folks that were seated.  When they stopped in front of us we were to applaud to reinforce their behavior.


Aren't they amazing?