Flamingos are large birds that are identifiable by their long necks, sticklike legs and pink or reddish feathers. Flamingos embody the saying "you are what you eat." The pink and reddish colors of a flamingo's feathers come from eating pigments found in algae and invertebrates.
There are six species of flamingo: greater flamingo, lesser flamingo, Chilean flamingo, Andean flamingo, James' (or puna) flamingo and American (or Caribbean) flamingo.
It is believed that flamingos are monogamous. Once they mate, they tend to stay with that mate. A group of flamingos will all mate at the same time so that all of the chicks will hatch at the same time. Pairs will make nests out of mounds of mud, and the female will lay one egg at a time.
Baby flamingos are gray or white. They will turn pink within the first couple years of life. Flamingos live 20 to 30 years in the wild or up to 50 years in a zoo.
Fossil evidence indicates that the group from which flamingos evolved is very old and existed about 30 million years ago, before many other avian orders had evolved.
It isn't really known why flamingos tend to stand on one foot, but it has been hypothesized that keeping one of their feet out of the cold water helps them to conserve body heat. It also seems to be a comfortable resting position for them.
Though it is believed that flamingos are tropical birds, they can also live and thrive in cold environments as long as they have access to plenty of water and food.
In East Africa, more than 1 million flamingos have been known to gather together, forming the largest flock known.
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