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1. The backward bending “knee” of a flamingo’s leg is the bird’s ankle. The bird’s knee is close to the body and not visible through the bird’s plumage.
2. A flamingo’s top speed can be as high as 35 miles per hour. They may appear clumsy in flight because of their long necks and dangling legs, making them seem wobbly.
3. Flamingo Chicks are born Gray or White and take up to three years to reach their mature pink.
4. The greater flamingo is the largest flamingo species and can mesure up to 5-feet tall when standing erect with its head raised. It only weighs about eight pounds. The lesser flamingo is the smallest, reaching 3-feet tall and typically 3 to 6 pounds.
5. Flamingo are large pink or red-colored wading birds known for their long legs. Its pink body coloration is determined by the large amounts of alpha and beta carotenoid pigments.
6. An adult flamingo’s legs can be 30-to-50 inches long-longer than its entire body. Flamingos often stand on one leg to preserve body heat, tucking the other leg into their warm plumage. They will alternate legs to regulate their body temperature.
7. After hatching, parent flamingos feed their chicks exclusively crop milk for five to 12 days. It is a regurgitated high-fat, high-protein substance produced in the parent’s digestive system.
8. Flamingos are strong but rare swimmers and powerful fliers. Many flamingos migrate or regularly fly between the best food sources and nesting grounds.
9. The word “Flamingo” comes from the Spanish and Latin word “Flamenco,” which means fire the spruce.
10. Flamingos hold their bent bills upside down while feeding. A Flamingo chick bill is small and straight.
11. A flock of flamingos is called a stand, colony, regiment, or flamboyance, applying to a flock of more than two birds.