acrylic on illustration board 18" x 24" $17,000. The Greater Flamingo (Phoenicopterus roseus) shares an almost identical range with the Lesser Flamingo (Phoeniconaias minor) in shallow lakes in parts of Africa and Asia. Even so, the two species manage to cohabit in large numbers without competing much for food. Both birds are filter feeders, but the fine plates lining the inside of the bill are finer in the Lesser Flamingo, excluding smaller particles. These birds also feed on the surface in shallower water than the Greaters, which sift water and mud at the bottom of the lake. Lessers subsist mostly on diatomaceous algae, while Greaters feed mostly on brine shrimp, midge larvae, and other tiny animals. |
