Flamingo studies: a general introduction
Résumé
Flamingos are among the most amazing birds in the world. The first part of this chapter provides a general introduction to the various extant species of flamingos, including their physical descriptions, unique characteristics, numbers in the wild, and geographical distributions. The second part depicts a brief history of the discovery and scientific study of flamingos, from the earlier accounts dating from the 16th century to the development of the first long-term studies of banded populations in the second half of the 20th century. The third and final part of this chapter offers some perspectives for future research.