Flamingos Stir up Whirlpools with their Feet and Beaks to Catch Prey

When we think of a flock of flamingos, we usually picture their long pink legs standing in shallow water and their heads down as they feed. While it may seem calm, there’s actually a flurry of activity underwater. With their webbed feet and uniquely angled beaks, flamingos create swirling mini-tornadoes to trap prey.

A recent study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences reveals that flamingos are actually specialized predators, employing active hunting techniques—challenging the common belief that they are merely passive filter feeders.

Flamingos Hunt, Not Just Filter

“Flamingos are true predators—they actively seek out moving animals in the water,” explained Victor Ortega Jiménez, an assistant professor at the University of California, Berkeley. “Their challenge is figuring out how to gather and concentrate these creatures to feed. While it may appear they’re simply filtering passive particles, that’s not the case—they’re actively targeting prey.”

To start the study, researchers trained Chilean flamingos (Phoenicopterus chilensis) to feed from a water-filled tank, capturing their foraging behavior with high-speed cameras. They then used this footage to develop 3D-printed physical models that replicated the flamingos’ movements.

The search for food starts with a “stomp dance,” where flamingos repeatedly stomp their flexible, webbed feet in the water. As the foot goes down, it opens; as it lifts, it closes—agitating sediment and dislodging tiny organisms like brine shrimp and mayfly larvae. This motion also creates small, tornado-like spirals that rise in the water. Tests with 3D models confirmed that the birds’ floppy legs are essential for forming these efficient vortices.

Next, the flamingo brings its head and beak into action. It positions its L-shaped beak in the water with the angled tip parallel to the ground. Then, it begins “chattering”—rapidly opening and closing its beak around 12 times per second. This motion generates another vortex, helping to trap prey more effectively.

Flamingos Enhance Feeding with Rapid Head Movements, Amplifying Vortex Effect

But that’s not all. While feeding with its head submerged, the flamingo rapidly and repeatedly pulls its head up from the bottom. This quick movement creates powerful tornado-like vortices that stir up and lift particulate sediments, enhancing the effect of the stomp dance.

“Flamingos are highly specialized for filter feeding,” says Ortega Jiménez. “It’s not just their heads, but also their necks, legs, feet, and various behaviors all working together to efficiently capture small, fast-moving organisms.”

In addition to revealing new insights into their feeding habits, the researchers believe the principles behind the flamingo’s tornado-like motions could inspire improved methods for extracting tiny particles, such as microplastics, from water.

Read the original article on: New Atlas

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