Flamingo

Description:

Flamingos or flamingoes are a type of wading bird in the genus Phoenicopterus (from Greek φοινικόπτερος meaning "purple wing"), the only genus in the family Phoenicopteridae. There are four flamingo species in the Americas and two species in the Old World. Flamingos often stand on one leg, the other tucked beneath the body. The reason for this behavior is not fully understood. Some species of Flamingos have the ability to have half of its body to go into a state of sleep, and when one side is rested, the flamingo will swap legs and then let the other half sleep, but this has not been proven. Recent research has indicated that standing on one leg may allow the birds to conserve more body heat, given that they spend a significant amount of time wading in cold water. As well as standing in the water, flamingos may stamp their webbed feet in the mud to stir up food from the bottom.

Habitat:

All flamingos are found in tropical and subtropical areas.