Flamingo

The American flamingo is a tall, graceful bird with beautiful pinkish-red feathers. It stands taller than a big kitchen chair, on long, thin legs, with a long curvy neck and a beak that bends downward in the middle. Of all the flamingos, this one has the pinkest feathers, and it is the largest flamingo in the Americas.

American flamingos live in warm places around the Caribbean, along the coasts of northern South America, and on the Galápagos Islands. They wade through shallow lagoons, muddy flats, and salty lakes, where the water is just the right depth for finding their food.

Flamingos have a very clever way of eating. A flamingo dips its head upside down into the water and uses its special beak like a sieve, straining out tiny shrimp, little water creatures, and bits of algae while letting the water flow back out. Baby flamingos start out a soft grey colour and slowly turn pink as they grow up.

When it is time to rest, flamingos often stand on just one leg, folding the other one up beneath them. They live together in big, busy groups, and a pair builds a little mound of mud where the mother lays a single chalky-white egg. Both parents take turns keeping the egg cosy until the chick hatches.

There are many American flamingos living in the wild today, which is wonderful news. Living in large flocks in quiet wetlands helps keep them safe, and people who look after these special watery places are helping make sure flamingos have plenty of room to wade, feed, and raise their chicks.