Safari Stars – Greater Flamingos

One of the best rides at Disney’s Animal Kingdom is Kilimanjaro Safaris. Guests ride on a big safari vehicle and get to see lots of African animals in their habitat. I love to take pictures of all the animals, but when I get home I often wish I knew the names of the animals in my pictures and maybe some facts about them. In Safari Stars, my new series, I will introduce you to 10 African animals found on Kilimanjaro Safaris. Along with a picture and their name I’ll give you 5 fun facts about each animal. Happiness Squared. Today’s animal is the greater flamingo.

All flamingos look alike to me, and unless a greater and a lesser flamingo are side by side it can be hard to tell them apart. The greater flamingos, found on Kilimanjaro Safaris, are larger and have a more widespread habitat. The lesser flamingos, found on Discovery Island, are smaller but more numerous in the wild. I think flamingos are fun to look at. It is common knowledge that they get their pink color from the shrimp they eat, and my favorite ones are the gluttons who are deep pink.

5 fun facts about greater flamingos:

1) They use their long legs to stir up the silt at the bottom of the mud flats where they like to feed.

2) They feed by sticking their bills, and sometimes their whole heads, in the silty water. They have filters inside their beaks that allow them to remove plankton, small fish, and larvae before they expel the water.

3) Young flamingos are born grey and white and don’t turn pink for two years.

4) Greater flamingos are found on many continents from Europe to Central America.

5) A group of flamingos is called a colony. Remember that when you see a grouping on someone’s lawn.

Goofy Tip: In your eagerness to get to Expedition Everest or Kilimanjaro Safaris it is easy to walk past two areas filled with hidden animals, Discovery Island Trails and The Oasis. Make time to walk through these winding paths. There are lots of fun animals to see, like lesser flamingos. It is also a cool place to be in the heat of the day.