Oh!! gosh that’s tough actually. My first instinct is to say penguins, but flamingos are fucking badass.
Flamingos court and nest in highly alkaline lakes that would kill most other animals. They gather in huuuge flocks, like in the thousands. The lakes where they live sometimes freeze at night, so the birds are trapped and must wait until morning to free themselves.
There is a lake in Tanzania, Lake Natron, which supports 75% of the world’s flamingo population. There’s a bit about it in one of the nature docs that has come out in the last few years. Might be Planet Earth? Definitely worth watching and learning more about these incredible, and highly specialized, birds.
Penguins! I mean this is kinda tough bc penguins are a broad category!! You have your Emperor penguins (tallest), well known nowadays from March of the Penguins. But also Little Blue penguins (smallest)! Chinstrap penguins (one personal fav)! There is even a species sometimes called the Jackass penguin bc their calls sound like donkeys.
Not all penguins live in Antarctica. They can be found in S. America, Africa, and Oceania. There are even penguins above the Equator in the Galapagos! (but not the arctic! polar bears and penguins never meet in the wild) Some even spend the breeding season in towns among people. (If I can suggest another nature doc, Penguin Town is adorable)
Some have cool hair styles like the Macaroni and Rockhopper penguins. Rockhoppers lay their eggs in the same nest year after year.
We love how cute they look waddling over land, but they fly through the water. It’s beautiful and amazing to watch.
Another fun fact about penguins is they were named based on their resemblance to a northern bird, called an Auk or Great Auk, which is now extinct. Consequently, the genus “Pinguinus” is used for auks, but not for penguins, as they are not closely related. Taxonomy!
In conclusion, I cannot choose. XD
