STATUS:
Stable population
COLOR:
Wings and abdomen pink with red highlights, orange tail feathers, white neck, red eyes, red legs
SIZE:
The average adult is 26 to 31 inches tall, with a wing span of about 50 inches across, and weighs about 3 pounds.
HABITAT:
Marshes, tidal ponds, rivers, lagoons and mangrove swamps
RANGE:
Coasts of Texas, Louisiana and southern Florida; also found in the tropics and in Central and South America
FOOD:
small fish, crustaceans, and insects
BEHAVIOR:
Social bird that nests, feeds and flies with members of its own species and other birds
OFFSPRING:
Female lays 1 to 4 dull white, speckled eggs. Both parents incubate the eggs and feed the nestlings. Chicks leave the nest at around 4 or 5 weeks old, but remain close to their parents until they perfect their flying technique when they are about 8 weeks old.
THREATS:
Predation of eggs and chicks, and manmade threats such as the pollution and draining of wetlands habitat and the widespread use of pesticides
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