This colophon was written by Clairemarie Fisher O'Leary. Flamingos are easily identifiable by their long legs and neck, turned-down bill, and bright color, which ranges from white to pink to bright red. There are five living species of flamingo, encompassing the family Phoenicopteridae. Flamingos are found in Asia, Africa, Europe, South America, and the Caribbean islands. Although wild flamingos are sometimes seen in Florida, they do not naturally nest in the United States.
Flamingos feed on small crustaceans, algae, and other unicellular organisms.
Their unusually shaped bills provide flamingos with a unique food-filtering system. A flamingo eats by placing its head upside down below the water surface and sucking in water and small food particles through the serrated edges of its bill. The flamingo then pushes its thick, fleshy tongue forward, forcing the water out but trapping the food particles on lamellae inside the beak. The filtration technique varies in the different species of flamingo. As a result of this differentiation, several species can live in the same water source and not disturb each other.