Flamingos 'Form Cliques' With Other Birds With Similar Personality

The personalities and social behavior of Caribbean and Chilean flamingos were studied by scientists. The findings concluded that both species of birds preferred to spend time with others who had personalities similar to their own.

The research, conducted by the University of Exeter and the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (WWT), reveals the complex nature of flamingo societies and could aid in captive flock management.

Flamingos form cliques with like-minded pals

(Photo : SAM PANTHAKY/AFP via Getty Images)

Previous research has revealed that individual flamingos have specific 'friends' within the flock, revealed by Dr. Paul Rose of WWT and Exeter's Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour via ScienceDaily.

In this study, he wanted to see if individual personality traits explain why these friendships form. For example, bolder birds had stronger, more consistent ties with other bold birds, whereas submissive birds spent their time with other submissive flamingos.

Flamingo's "personality" was determined by measuring consistent individual differences such as aggressiveness and willingness to explore.

Flamingos, like humans, appear to carve out different roles in society based on their personality. Fionnuala McCully, now at the University of Liverpool, collected data for the study while studying for an MSc in Animal Behaviour at the University of Exeter.

Meanwhile, submissive birds' roles may be more complex than simply being lower on the pecking order; they may be taking a different approach to get what they need.

The various personality groups provide social assistance to their members, such as by supporting one another in the numerous squabbles that occur in flamingo flocks.

Birds of a certain personality type had a specific role within the group overall in the Caribbean flamingos, but this was not found in the Chilean flock.

The reasons for this are unknown, but such a pattern could be discovered in a larger study of wild birds.

Also Read: 8 Unusual Facts About The Exotic Species Flamingo

How does this bird interact with other species?

For example, we saw groups of aggressive birds attempting to dominate rivals and engaging in more fights, as per BioWeb.

Meanwhile, submissive birds' roles may be more complex than simply being lower on the pecking order; they may be taking a different approach to get what they need.

The various personality groups provide social assistance to their members, such as by supporting one another in the numerous squabbles that occur in flamingo flocks.

Birds of a certain personality type had a specific role within the group overall in the Caribbean flamingos, but this was not found in the Chilean flock.

The reasons for this are unknown, but such a pattern could be discovered in a larger study of wild birds.

Human interactions with this type of flamingo have a number of negative consequences for the bird. The Chilean flamingo is considered near-threatened due to illegal egg collection while the birds are unsupervised. Humans also contribute to the loss of these birds' habitat because they mine, tour, and hunt on these grounds.

They are hunted for their feathers, meat, and simply for fun. Because Andean miners believe that the tongue of the Chilean flamingo cures tuberculosis, they cut out their tongues when hunting these birds.

Humans also keep these flamingos in zoos because they find them entertaining to watch.

Related article: American Flamingos Sighted Again in Florida After Becoming Rare for 100 Years