US EditionFeeding Flamingos Create Underwater Tornado-Like Vortices to Capture Their Prey, Study Finds
- Victor M. Ortega-Jimenez and his team investigated the feeding strategies of Chilean flamingos housed at the Nashville Zoo and associated research facilities to better understand how these birds capture their prey.
- They investigated how flamingos use their feet, heads, and distinctive L-shaped beaks to produce vortices that concentrate fast-swimming prey like brine shrimp.
- Flamingos stomp their flexible feet to churn sediment, jerk their heads upward at about 40 cm/s creating mini tornadoes, and chatter their beaks rapidly at 12 hertz to draw prey in.
- Experiments with 3D printed models and flume tests showed that beak chattering increases brine shrimp capture by seven times due to symmetrical vortices recirculating particles into the beak.
- These fluid dynamics principles reveal flamingos as active predators and could inspire new technologies for particle collection and filtering microplastics from water.
34 Articles
34 Articles
Vortex predator: Study reveals the fluid dynamics of flamingo feeding
Flamingos, often pictured standing still with their heads submerged in water, make for a pretty picture. But peep underwater, and you’ll find the tall, elegant pink birds bobbing their heads, chattering their beaks, and creating mini tornados to efficiently guide microscopic prey into their mouths, according to a new study. “Think of spiders, which produce […]
Flamingos Create Water Tornadoes to Capture Their Prey, Scientists Discover
A Chilean flamingo feeds with its head submerged. Credit: Under the same moon / CC BY 2.0 Flamingos may appear calm as they wade through shallow water with their heads submerged, but new research reveals a surprising truth: flamingos use water tornadoes to trap their prey. These swirling motions, created by the birds’ feet and beaks, help them hunt and capture small, fast-moving animals beneath the surface, proving they are far more active feede…
Serene, Beautiful — and Deadly: Flamingos Create Water Tornados to Trap Prey - WhoWhatWhy
Serene, Beautiful — and Deadly: Flamingos Create Water Tornados to Trap Prey (Maria) The author writes, “Flamingos standing serenely in a shallow alkaline lake with heads submerged may seem to be placidly feeding, but there’s a lot going on under the surface. Through studies of Chilean flamingos in the Nashville Zoo and analysis of 3D printed models of their feet and L-shaped bills, researchers have documented how the birds use their feet, heads…
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