When you picture a flamingo, you probably imagine a tall, pink bird standing serenely on one leg. But there’s far more to these striking birds than their iconic pose—and Day 3 of Bird Theme Week is the perfect time to take a closer look.
Light as a Feather, Built to Fly
Adult flamingos can reach an impressive four to five feet in height, yet they weigh only between four and eight pounds. This surprisingly low body density makes them strong, capable flyers. In fact, flamingos kept in zoos often need to have their wings clipped to prevent them from escaping.
A famous example occurred in 2005, when two African flamingos at the Wichita, Kansas zoo escaped before their wings were clipped. One of those birds wasn’t seen again until 14 years later, when it turned up in Texas—proof that flamingos are far more mobile than most people realize.
Strength in Numbers
Flamingos are intensely social birds, living in colonies that can number in the thousands. These large groups—called a flamboyance or a stand—serve several important purposes. Living together helps flamingos avoid predators, maximize food intake, and make efficient use of the limited nesting sites available in their preferred habitats.
Masters of Mudflat Dining
Flamingos thrive in mudflats and lagoons, where shallow saltwater is rich with prey. They feed by stirring up the mud with their feet, then filtering food from the water using their specialized bills. Uniquely, flamingos feed with their bills held upside-down, perfectly adapted to strain mud and silt away from their meals.
Their famous pink or reddish coloring comes from carotenoids in the plankton they eat. American flamingos are especially vibrant, thanks to the abundance of beta carotene in their diet.
The Mystery of the One-Legged Stance
One of the most recognizable flamingo behaviors is standing on one leg, with the other tucked beneath the body. While the exact reason isn’t fully understood, scientists have a few theories.
One idea suggests that standing on one leg helps conserve body heat while wading in cold water. Another theory proposes that it saves energy instead. Flamingos can lock the ligaments and tendons in their legs, allowing them to stand more stably on one leg than on two—with very little muscular effort.
Legs That Look Backwards (But Aren’t)
If you’ve ever watched a flamingo walk, you may have noticed that its legs seem to bend backward. That’s because the visible “backward bend” is actually the ankle, not the knee. Flamingos also have webbed feet that help with swimming and are often used to stamp through mud to stir up food from the bottom.
Storm-Driven Travelers
Although flamingos are native to the tropical southern United States, powerful storms can push them far beyond their usual range. In 2023, Hurricane Idalia carried large numbers of flamingos across the eastern U.S., leading to rare sightings in states such as Georgia, the Carolinas, Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and even as far northwest as Wisconsin.
Marine biologists believe these birds likely originated in the Yucatán Peninsula and were caught in the storm while traveling toward Cuba before being swept northward.
Flamingos and American Pop Culture
The American flamingo is an iconic symbol of Florida, appearing on countless souvenirs and pieces of merchandise. While the species once lived—and possibly bred—in Florida until the early 20th century, its cultural association with the state grew largely due to the Flamingo Hotel in 1920s Miami Beach and the captive flamingos kept at Hialeah Park.
That cultural influence spread nationwide in 1957, when artist Don Featherstone designed the pink plastic lawn flamingo, naming the first one Diego. The bird became so beloved that, in 2009, Madison, Wisconsin officially named the plastic flamingo its city bird. The honor commemorated a legendary 1979 prank in which students placed 1,008 plastic flamingos on a university lawn. Today, the flamingo even appears in the logo of Madison’s professional soccer team, Forward Madison FC.