Chuck Ripper (American, B. 1929) "Two Flamingos on River Beach" Signed lower right. Original Gouache painting on Illustration Board. Provenance: Collection of James A. Helzer (1946-2008), Founder of Unicover Corporation. Flamingos are strikingly beautiful birds that feed on small aquatic animals such as swimming crustacea and unicellular organisms. Their long legs and necks allow them to wade and feed in relatively deep water, and when need be they can swim for their sustenance. They have filter-like beaks which enable them to sift their food from salt lakes and brackish lagoons. Flamingos are long-lived birds that develop slowly. Some zoo specimens have lived more than 30 years. They are not fully grown until their second year. Flamingos characteristic pink plummage appears when they reach maturity at four to six years of age. Breeding grounds are located in remote areas near water. There, flamingos gather in huge colonies numbering in the hundreds of thousands. These exotic birds make a spectacular sight during the early breeding season. They stand together in loose groups and perform ritualized stretching and preening movements in sequence. This ceremony helps to separate the individual birds ready for reproduction from the group at large. Female flamingos select and build their nest sites only a few days before laying their eggs. A flamingo clutch consists of a single egg that is incubated by both parents for 27 to 31 days. Chicks normally leave their nests within four to seven days after hatching and soon form loose groups with other youngsters. Image Size: 14.5 x 12.5 in. Overall Size: 18 x 16 in. Unframed. (B13703)