Drawing - Flamingo

Hello steemians,i hope you are all doing fine and staying safe?I am fine and safe too, thanks to God.
It's my pleasure to partake in this contest"Drawing-Flamingo"and i appreciate
@bentone3 for organizing this contest. This contest will ignite the drawing ability in us and so i invite @ability20 @emishael60 @mehwish-almas to join me in this contest.

Me and my flamingo drawing

A STEP BY STEP APPROACH

Flamingos or Flamingoes is Originated from Spanish word "flamengo" meaning flame which appears as a symbol of beauty, elegance, extravagance, balance, potential, romance because it emerge from the striking characteristics they have. They are often associated with tropical settings and leisure, creating a sense of escape and paradise.

☆HAVE YOU EVER SEEN ONE?

Yes, that was the time i visited the Zoo. The flamingos swim together and they swim by plunging their heads into the water upside down and filtering the water for shrimp and they can swim. When the water is beyond their wading depth, the flamingos swim at the surface while feeding and where dense packs float by the surface of the water.

Flamingoes spend most of the day feeding, preening (distributing oil from a gland at the base of their tail to their feather for water proofing) resting and bathing. They stand on one leg for hours at a time and even sleep while standing on one leg with their head placed on their backs. It was fun to see.

☆I LOVE THE BIRD A LOT. WHAT ABOUT YOU?

I love them too because it was fun to see them do some funny things and i learnt from the activities they carried out and i came back and studied more about them.

Socialising is so important to them that they continue to do it even if they are not feeling well. Flamingos form long-lasting friendship and some even behave like married couples.

Flamingos are known for their long legs, long necks and park-pink feathers which makes them unique and colourful in various contexts like content associated with the tropic, such as summer fun by the pool.

☆WHAT ARE IT'S PECULIAR CHARACTERISTICS?

●Size

~The greater flamingo is the tallest flamingo, standing 120 to 150cm
~ The lesser flamingo is the smallest flamingo, standing 80cm. Male reach full size between one and a half.
~ Male flamingos are slightly large than female, weighing more and having longer wingspans; Visual sex determination of flamingos is unreliable.
~ The wingspan of flamingos ranges from 95 to 100cm (37-39in) for the lesser flamingo 140 to 165cm(55-65 in) for the greater flamingos.
~ The caribbean flamingos has a wingspan of 150cm(59 in)

●Coloration

~Feature colour varies with species, ranging from pale pink to crimson or vermilion
~Caribbean flamingos have the brightest coloration; Crimson or Vermilion.
~The chilean flamingo is pale pink. Feature Coloration is derived from carotenoid pigments found in a flamingo's food.
~Male and female flamingos Coloration is the same.
~Newly hatched chicks are gray or white.
~Juveniles are grayish, taking approximately one-two years to obtain full adult coloration.
~Parents may lose same of their pink coloration while raising young ones.
~Coloration of a flamingo's legs and feet varies according to species, from yellow to orange or pink-red.
~The andean flamingo is the only specie that has yellow legs and feet.

●APPENDAGES

• Legs
  ~The legs of adult flamingoes are longer than the flamingoes body, measuring between 80 to 120cm (31.5 - 49inch) depending on the specie.
  ~The ankle is located about halfway up the leg.
  ~The knee is located close to the body and it is not externally visible.

• Feet
  ~The chilean, greater and lesser flamingoes have three forward-pointing toes and a hallux or hind toe.
  ~Andean and James flamingoes have three toes and no hallux.
  ~Webbing between the toes aids the bird in swimming and stirring up food.
  ~Coloration of the feet and legs is the same.

• Wings
  ~The wing span of flamingoes ranges from 95-100cm (37-39m) on the lesser flamingoes to 140-165cm (55-65 inch) on the greater flamingo. The carribean flamingo has a wind span of 150cm (59inch).
  ~There are twelve principal flight feathers located in each wing. These balck feathers are visible when the wings are extended.

• Neck
  ~The neck is long and sinuous. A flamingo has nineteen elongated cervical (neck) vertebrate allowing for maximum movement and twisting.

• Head
  ~The eyes are located on either side of the head.
  ~Flamingo chicks have grey eyes for approximately the first year of life. Adult flamingoes have yellow eyes.

• Bill
  ~An adult flamingo bill is black, pinkish or cream colored.
  Coloration varies according to species.
  ~The bill is adapted for fiiller feeding, the upper and the lower bill or mandible is angled downward just below the nostril.
  ~The upper mandible is thin and flat and functions like a lid to the lower mandible. The lower mandible is large and trough.
  ~James and Andean flamingoes has a deep, narrow trough like lower mandible, which allows them to eat small foods such as algae and diatoms.
  ~The lower mandible of carribean, greater and chilean flamingoes is wide, allowing them to feed on larger foods such as brine flies, shrimp and molluses.

• Tongue
  ~A flamingo's large fleshy tongue is covered with bristle-like projections that helps filter water and food particles through the lamellae.

• Feathers
  ~Adult feathers have a small, delicate, accessory feather arising from the main feather at the point where the quill merges into the shaft at the feather. This is called an aftershaft.
  ~Flamingoes have twelve to sixteen tail feathers.
  [Source]https://seaworld.org/animals/all-about/flamingos/characteristics

☆DO THEY BENEFIT HUMANS AND THE EARTH IN ANY WAY?

1.Their actions, movements and behaviour help mould and shape features of an ecosystem creating area for other species to thrive in.

2.Flamingos are important to humans, some people have used flamingos and their eggs as a primary food source and delicacy.

3.Human do not seem to have a problem with flamingoes but they also don't tend to think twice before destroying the natural habitat of these animals.

4.They are not aggressive animals and they will not harm people unless they feel threatened.
Many zoos keep flamingoes and allow visitors to feed them by hand. Even if they attack you, it is not likely to get very violent.

In conclusion, flamingoes are one of the most beautiful bird specie on earth. They are also a peaceful, loving and social animal but you should keep your guard around them and respect their space because they are territorial.