Symmetry - (Phoenicopterus roseus)

Symmetry - (Phoenicopterus roseus) - I photographed these two flamingos facing each other in a defiant attitude, perfectly symmetrical. Nikon D850, Sigma supertele 300-800mm, f / 5.6, 1/1250 sec, ISO 450. Thanks for your comments

Fantastic shot as always, Giangiorgio! Technical quality great, aesthetics also, beautiful colors as always, also! Complimenti! Ciao! PDE

A delightful picture, Giangiorgio! They seem to want to say something to each other! What does this pose mean? Curious is it two males, two females, or a male and a female? What happened next? Perfectly done! Bravo, Maestro! Sincerely, Tatiana

Tatiana, many thanks for your appreciated comment always very welcome, the pose of these two flamingos is the prelude to a fight, very often for the feeding territory. The plumage in the two sexes in the flamingos is identical, practically indistinguishable. In adulthood, males are often slightly taller. Shortly after the short battle, the two flamingos continue to eat at a short distance from each other , ciao Giangiorgio

Tatiana, glad you enjoyed this picture and adding it to your favorites, ciao Giangiorgio

Patrick, many thanks for appreciating this photo and adding it to your favorites , ciao Giangiorgio

I forgot to mention the brilliant capture in the right moment, sorry! Ciao! PDE

Excellent shot, Giangiorgio! Best, Tina

Pierre, thank you for your appreciation and great commentary of my photo, ciao Giangiorgio

Pierre, I am grateful for the words you expressed and for your continuous support, ciao Giangiorgio

Tina , many thanks for your visit and kind comment, ciao Giangiorgio

Hi Giangiorgio,

 

very appealing shot of these two of your favorite birds facing each other. I was surprised to read the aperture was 5.6; I would expect less DoF, but I like it a lot! It tells me something about the surroundings, which is not always the case with extreme tele-lenses. I especially like the deep colors. Well done! Kind regards, Vincent

Wow Giangiorgio! This is a beautiful shot, clean, sharp, COLORFUL, great bokeh oh, and beautiful symmetry. Well done my friend!

Thank you a lot for the clarification, Giangiorgio! You have already said that your favorite flamingo birds are friendly, in everyday conflicts they are not going to maim each other and it is difficult to distinguish a male from a female. However, I still have questions. I guess in the process of a quarrel, they can behave differently depending on the participants (male-male, female-female, male-female, parent-child ...). Is it possible to understand who is who by the behavior of birds when viewing and analyzing photos? Sincerely, Tatiana

Many thanks Vincent for your interesting and attentive comment, The telephoto lens was not at maximum, only 480mm, it is a crop of the upper half of a vertical photo, cut to better highlight the symmetry of the two flamingos , ciao Giangiorgio

Mick, thank you for your appreciation and great commentary of my photo, ciao Giangiorgio

Tatiana I am pleased with your interest in these beautiful birds which are my favorites. The pink color of the flamingos is due to the carotenoids contained in the food, some ethologists have noticed that a more pronounced pink color makes them more attractive, stronger and more available for mating. When they feed and find a soil rich in food, they take advantage of it to introduce it in greater quantities and accentuate the coloring, therefore they become more aggressive and try to drive away the other male or female flamingos who try to take advantage of their territory. Usually a few pecks are enough and the loser walks away, Other times the fight is extended to three or four other flamingos, their feathers stand up perhaps for an adrenaline rush and the winners occupy the food rich territory. This behavior is innate and we can see it even in colorless young people.

Browsing through my gallery you will be able to see several photos of combat, male against male, against female, against everyone. During the courtship period, males and females carry out wedding parades that last hours and involve both sexes, it is used for the choice of the partner and to synchronize the deposition of the eggs that will all hatch in the same period.

In the lagoons of Cagliari you can see thousands of specimens all similar to each other, the males and females have the same plumage. At the same age, the males are slightly taller but in the mass they are not distinguished. I forgot to tell you that they are very talkative and their chants can be heard over great distances , ciao Giangiorgio

I am very grateful to you, Giangiorgio, for your explanations and an interesting story about your favorite birds. Sincerely, Tatiana