Fascinating Footage of Flamingos Feeding Underwater

The San Diego Zoo captured amusing yet fascinating underwater footage of the resident flamingos as they fed along the sandy bottom of their habitat. The scene features some very long legs and a beautiful pink head occasionally appearing to nibble at the ground, although they are actually filtering out the edible items from the mud and water.

These pretty in pink birds feed by sucking in water and mud at the front of their bills, then pumping it out at the sides. Briny plates called lamellae act like tiny filters, trapping shrimp, and other small water creatures for the flamingos to eat.

Flamingos Feeding Underwater
Lori Dorn
Lori Dorn

Lori is a Laughing Squid Contributing Editor based in New York City who has been writing blog posts for over a decade. She also enjoys making jewelry, playing guitar, taking photos and mixing craft cocktails.