The American flamingo is a tall, graceful bird best known for its bright pink color, long neck, and habit of standing on one leg. These social birds are found in the Caribbean, the Yucatán Peninsula, parts of northern South America, and occasionally in southern Florida.
But here’s a surprise—flamingos aren’t born pink! Chicks hatch with gray or white feathers. Over time, their diet of shrimp, algae, and other tiny water creatures rich in a substance called beta-carotene turns their feathers that signature shade of pink or orange. The more shrimp they eat, the brighter they get!
American flamingos are highly social animals that live in large flocks, sometimes with hundreds or even thousands of other flamingos. They use body language, honking sounds, and synchronized group dances to communicate with each other.
One of the coolest things about flamingos is how they eat. They use their bent beak upside-down to filter food from the water, kind of like a living strainer. They shuffle their feet in the mud to stir up food and suck in water, then push it out through tiny filters in their beak to trap the good stuff.
These flamingos are strong flyers, even though you’ll usually see them wading in shallow lagoons, salt flats, or coastal wetlands. They build volcano-shaped nests out of mud, where they lay just one egg at a time.
In zoos, American flamingos are often found in lush outdoor lagoons, where guests can admire their bright colors, watch their group behavior, and learn how wetlands help wildlife survive.
