These Caribbean flamingos are the brightest members of the flamingo family. They are unusual in many ways.
Their curved bill is a specialist bit of equipment, containing a unique structure that filters algae and small crustaceans out of the water.
And this bill is the key to their parenting strategy.
Their chicks are born with straight bills, that can’t yet filter water to feed.
So these bird parents produce milk. It’s made in their throat and comes out of their mouths but has the same amount of protein and fat as milk.
The hormone prolactin stimulates milk production, the same as for humans. Except, here, both parents have prolactin, so dad produces milk too.
The milk is bright red, as it contains the chemicals that give the chick its pink colour until it can feed itself. The feeding drains the parents of their own colour and they start to look a bit washed out, a feeling most parents are familiar with!
With both parents working together, they manage to produce enough milk to sustain their chick until its bill has developed and it’s able to stand on its own two feet.
Comments
Yes. I had. The commonly seen birds around my domain includes dove, duck, parrot, hen, sparrow, pigeon and so on. Just to mention a few.
Good day!
Explain, please, what button I should push in order to make the right order on the sentences.
Thanx a lot!
Olga
Hello Olga
After you press the Finish button, it turns into the See Answers button. If you press that, it will show you the answers in the correct order.
All the best
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello Olga
I see what you mean! In this kind of exercise, you have to click on what you think is the first sentence and then click on the first box. Then click on what you think is the second sentence and click on the second box. If you work from the top down, they should stay in the order you want.
Please let me know if that doesn't work for you and sorry for the confusion.
All the best
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team
Hi Olga
I'm sorry that it doesn't work for you! Are you talking about Task 1? And are you using a computer or some other kind of device.
On my computer, if I click on the second sentence in the list, it turns darker. Then if I click on the first sentence, the sentence I click on moves to the first space. Does the same thing happen for you?
All the best
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team