Feathered Friends Charm Page

Flamingos

Flamingos grow to around 3 to 5 feet tall and weigh around 5 to 6 pounds. They sometimes live in large groups of as many as 10,000 and make a honking sound like a goose. They make their nests in the mud where they lay one large egg. Both parents watch over the egg. Flamingos often stand on one of their very long legs, the other leg tucked beneath the body. Young flamingos hatch with greyish reddish plumage, but adults range from light pink to bright red. They can take off rapidly and fly up to 35 miles per hour. The flamingos can also fly hundreds of miles a day in order to find adequate amounts of food for them to survive on. Most of this flight time takes place at night which is why many of us never see them. Flamingos hold their bills upside down while feeding, often for several hours a day, so they can filter out their food while skimming the water. They live in a habitat of low level water such as lagoons or mudflats or lakes. They like to wade around in the water searching for food.

.