Overview

• A multi-institutional study overturns the long-held belief that flamingos are passive filter feeders, showing they actively manipulate their environment to capture prey.
• Flamingos use their webbed feet to churn lake sediments, creating whirlpools that lift microscopic prey like brine shrimp and copepods toward their beaks.
• Their unique L-shaped beak and rapid 'chattering' motion generate sheet-like von Kármán vortices, funneling prey directly into their mouths.
• Mechanical and computational simulations confirmed this feeding strategy enhances prey intake by up to seven times compared to passive filtering.
• Insights from flamingo biomechanics could inspire innovations in water filtration systems and bio-inspired aquatic robotics for challenging environments.