SCIENCE LAB SCHEME : HEADS DOWN BEHAVIOUR 2/2

 

Dr. Ortega-Jimenez's collaborators included three flamingos from the Nashville Zoo : Mattie, Marty and Cayenne.

Zookeepers trained the birds to feed in clear container, which allowed researchers to record what was happening using high-speed cameras and fluid dynamic methods.

The scientists generated oxygen bubbles and added food particles to measure and visualize the flow of the water as the birds fed.  

After initial observations with the live birds, the team built a 3-D model of a flamingo head and used it to more precisely explore the birds' biomechanics.

Flamingos they found, frequently and quickly retract their heads as they feed. Each of these motions creates a tornado-like vortex and an upwelling of particles from the bottom toward the water's surface.

Chattering, in which flamingos rapidly clap their beaks while their heads are lifted but still underwater, is responsible for causing the mini-twisters to flow directly towards the birds' mouths, helping them capture prey.

The World Students Society thanks Rachel Nuwer.