P. roseus

P. roseus Skull Replica or Greater Flamingo measures 6.3 inches. P. rouseus Skull replica is museum quality polyurethane cast. 2-part skull (separate cranium and jaw). Made in USA.

The P. roseus or Greater flamingo (Phoenicopterus roseus) is the most widespread and largest species of the flamingo family. Common in the Old World.

They are found in Northern (coastal) and Sub-Saharan Africa, the Indian Subcontinent (south of the Himalayas), the Middle East, the Levant, the Persian Gulf, the Gulf of Aden, the Red Sea, and the Mediterranean countries of Southern Europe.

The P. roseus or Greater flamingo was described by Peter Simon Pallas in 1811. It was previously thought to be the same species as the American flamingo (Phoenicopterus ruber), but because of coloring differences of its head, neck, body, and bill, the two flamingos are now most commonly considered separate species. The greater flamingo has no subspecies and is therefore monotypic.

The P. roseus or Greater flamingo resides in mudflats and shallow coastal lagoons with salt water.

Using its feet, the bird stirs up the mud, then sucks water through its bill and filters out small shrimp, seeds, blue-green algae, microscopic organisms, and mollusks.

The skull of a flamingo has several adaptations that allow it to feed upside down in water and filter small prey. They have some interesting structural features which differ from other birds – the lower bill is larger and stronger than the upper bill, and the upper bill is mobile rather than being rigidly fused to the rest of the skull so it can move during feeding.

Like all flamingos, this species lays a single chalky-white egg on a mud mound.

The typical lifespan in captivity, according to Basel Zoo, is over 60 years. In the wild, the average lifespan is 30 to 40 years.

The primary threats to P. roseus or the Greater flamingo populations are bacteria, toxins, and pollution in water supplies, which is usually run-off from manufacturing companies, and encroachment on their habitat.