The truth about the flamingo 'married life' together

Flamingos are one of the few animals in the natural world that follow the rule of making friends one of a quite special life. They live together, fly together, stand together and die together.

Flamingos are loved by many people because of their unique appearance. The reddish pink coat on the body makes them stand out in the bird world.

This bird also possesses features that explain the feat of science. For example, the flamingo likes to stand on one leg, or exist " faithful " in a lifetime .

Flamingos are faithful birds that live only in monogamy.

The cultural and emotional life of flamingo couples is thought to be rare in the natural world, even if they have rules like humans in choosing a mate.

Paul Rose, a behavioral ecologist at Exeter University, explored the close relationships of couples and the social relationship of flamingos.

Paul Rose collected data on flamingos in the Caribbean, Chile, Andean and small colonies living in Wildfowl and Wetlands, Gloucestershire between 2012 and 2016 for his research.

The researcher found that the flamingos' relationships remained closely linked, sticking with paint glue for decades. They are married couples, same-sex friendship, and even a group of three or four close friends.

It is easy to see close flamingo couples because they are always close to each other, not tight.

Paul Rose said: "The long-standing social relationships show that they are important for the species to survive in the wild."

Like humans, this highly social bird carefully chooses its playmates and avoids certain individuals. This action is aimed at preventing quarrels and reducing stress.

The relationship of flamingos has remained in close association, sticking with glue for decades.

In order to accurately assess how strong affection is, Paul Rose photographed couples standing together every day for four seasons.

If one bird gets too close to the other, the other will use its long neck and giant beak to attack the reminder. Sometimes, tension even breaks out just to compete for which neck is longer.

Paul Rose also said the neck length is also a measure of the flaming friendship. If a flamingo stands about less than the length of its neck, it means they're a close couple. If standing further than the neck length, they belong to a separate group.

Paul Rose said the findings could help with the management of captive flamingos, so when moving birds from one zoo to another. Managers should pay attention to the volume, not the flamingos that are closely linked.

• Why do flamingos stand on one leg?
• Why are flamingos pink?