The flamingo is a beautiful and graceful bird. It has very longs legs that are stilt-like, similar to herons and storks. These long legs, combined with a long neck, often gives the flamingo an awkward disproportionate appearance. The flamingo┐s knees bend backwards and, when resting, the flamingo usually tucks one of its legs beneath its body. It possesses webbed feet and sometimes paddles in deep water using these. When flying, flamingos have a 150-180 centimetre (5-6 feet) wing span. Their bill is short, and thick, and is unusual because it bends downwards. The flamingo gets its pinkish colour from the pink pigment in the shrimps it eats from the mud. The more shrimp eaten, the pinker the feathers become. The lesser flamingo is usually a more intense pink than other flamingos.
Height
Flamingos stand 180 centimetres (6 feet) tall.
Life Span
25 years in the wild, or 50 years in a zoo.