加勒比火烈鸟，尤卡坦半岛，墨西哥 Caribbean flamingos, Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico (© Claudio Contreras/NPL/Minden Pictures)
加勒比火烈鸟，尤卡坦半岛，墨西哥 Caribbean flamingos, Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico (© Claudio Contreras/NPL/Minden Pictures)
飞行中的火烈鸟 Flamboyance in flight
加勒比火烈鸟，尤卡坦半岛，墨西哥
你见过一群火烈鸟飞上天空吗？如果你见过，它们很有可能就是加勒比火烈鸟，也叫美洲火烈鸟，就像今天图片中在墨西哥尤卡坦半岛看到的那样。火烈鸟成群出没时被称为“火烈鸟群”，但它们也可以被称为“站群”或“群落”。加勒比火烈鸟是美洲最大的火烈鸟物种，也是唯一原产于北美的物种。这些充满活力的鸟类通常栖息在咸淡水和海水地区，如沼泽、河口和海岸线一带。由于其通体粉红色，它们经常被误认作粉红琵鹭。不过，长长的脖子和弯曲的喙将它们与大蓝鹭和木鹳等涉水鸟类区分开来。
加勒比火烈鸟分布在美国东南部、南美洲北部、加拉帕戈斯群岛和墨西哥尤卡坦半岛等地区，非常适合短途迁徙觅食。它们用长腿和有蹼的脚在浅水区捕食虾、甲壳类动物、软体动物、鱼类和藻类。它们的栖息地日益受到沿海开发、污染和海平面上升的威胁，使得种群处于危险之中。然而，当加勒比火烈鸟在天空中优雅地翱翔时，仍会让世人惊叹不已。
Caribbean flamingos, Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico
Ever seen a group of flamingos take to the skies? If you have, there's a good chance they were Caribbean flamingos, also known as American flamingos, as seen in Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico, in today's image. Flamingos are referred to as a flamboyance when in a group, but they can also be called a stand, colony, or pat. The Caribbean flamingo is the largest flamingo species in the Americas and the only one native to North America. These vibrant pink birds are typically found around brackish and saltwater areas, like marshes, estuaries, and along coastlines.
Found across regions like the southeastern United States, northern South America, the Galápagos Islands, and Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula, Caribbean flamingos are well adapted for short migrations in search of food. Using long legs and webbed feet, they hunt shallow waters for shrimp, crustaceans, mollusks, fish, and algae. Their habitats are increasingly threatened by coastal development, pollution, and rising sea levels, putting their population at risk. Yet, Caribbean flamingos still amaze us when they soar gracefully through the skies.
