Biomechanist Víctor Ortega Jiménez describes in a new video profile how flamingos gather food with head movements and stamping feet. The birds create and strengthen swirling traps that draw algae toward their filtering beaks. He sees possible inspiration for removing tiny pollutants from water, while practical applications remain a proposal.
Flamingos gather food partly by shaping the water around their beaks. Biomechanist Víctor Ortega Jiménez of the University of California, Berkeley, describes the process in a Science News video profile released on October 28. Pulling the head back creates swirling traps, and stamping feet strengthens the motion that draws algae toward the beak.[1]
Ortega Jiménez began wondering about the ripples while taking pictures and videos on a family visit to Atlanta. Finding an explanation took more than four years, he says. His field examines how mechanics applies to animal movement and structure, with an interest in ideas that could inform engineering. The water’s movement thus leads food toward a filtering beak, linking the bird’s movements to its meal.[1]
He describes the feeding filter as capable of sorting particles as small as a single cell. He proposes taking inspiration from this self-cleaning process for water treatment, including removal of microplastics and PFAS pollutants. Practical water-treatment devices remain a proposal in this explanation. Ortega Jiménez describes observing nature, drawing inspiration from it and solving problems as his approach to science.[1]
