Editing Flamingo (section)

==Description==
[[File:Flamingos With Ankles Circled.png|thumb|Two flamingos with their ankles circled in red]]
[[File:American flamingos in Denver.jpg|thumb|American and Chilean flamingos in captivity]]
[[File:Flamingos in flight.jpg|thumb|Flamingos in flight at [[Río Lagartos]], Yucatán, Mexico]]

Flamingos usually stand on one leg with the other tucked beneath the body. The reason for this behaviour is not fully understood. One theory is that standing on one leg allows the birds to conserve more body heat, given that they spend a significant amount of time wading in cold water.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/newsid_8197000/8197932.stm |title=Why flamingoes stand on one leg |last=Walker |first=Matt |date=13 August 2009 |access-date=9 December 2009 |work=BBC News}}</ref> However, the behaviour also takes place in warm water and is also observed in birds that do not typically stand in water. An alternative theory is that standing on one leg reduces the energy expenditure for producing muscular effort to stand and balance on one leg. A study on cadavers showed that the one-legged pose could be held without any muscle activity, while living flamingos demonstrate substantially less body sway in a one-legged posture.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Chang|first1=Young-Hui |last2=Ting |first2=Lena H.|date=24 May 2017 |title=Mechanical evidence that flamingos can support their body on one leg with little active muscular force |journal=Biology Letters |volume=13|issue=5|pages=20160948|doi=10.1098/rsbl.2016.0948|pmid=28539457|pmc=5454233}}</ref>

While walking, a flamingo's legs may appear to bend backwards. This appearance is due to the middle joint on their legs being their ankle, not their knee.<ref name=":03">{{Cite book |last=Arnold |first=Caroline |title=Flamingo |publisher=Morrow Junior Books |others=Illustrated by Richard Hewett |year=1991 |isbn=9780688094119 |pages=11, 13, 22}}</ref> Flamingos also have webbed feet that aid with swimming and they may stamp their feet in the mud to stir up food from the bottom.<ref name=":03" /><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Bildstein |first1=Keith L. |last2=Frederick |first2=Peter C. |last3=Spalding |first3=Marilyn G. |date=November 1991 |title=Feeding Patterns and Aggressive Behavior in Juvenile and Adult American Flamingos |journal=The Condor |volume=93 |issue=4 |pages=916–925 |doi=10.2307/3247726 |jstor=3247726}}</ref>

Flamingos are capable flyers, and flamingos in captivity often require [[wing clipping]] to prevent escape. A pair of African flamingos which had not yet had their wings clipped escaped from the [[Wichita, Kansas]], zoo in 2005. One was spotted in Texas 14 years later. It had been seen previously by birders in Texas, Wisconsin and Louisiana.<ref>[https://www.news-press.com/story/news/2018/02/23/flamingo-native-florida-again/364422002/ Fugitive flamingo spotted in Texas 14 years after escaping a Kansas zoo during storm], ''[[Wichita Eagle]]'', Kaitlyn Alanis, May 27, 2019. Retrieved May 29, 2019.</ref>

Young flamingos hatch with grayish-red plumage, but adults range from light pink to bright red due to aqueous bacteria and [[beta-carotene]] obtained from their food supply. A well-fed, healthy flamingo is more vibrantly colored, thus a more desirable mate; a white or pale flamingo, however, is usually unhealthy or malnourished. [[Captivity (animal)|Captive]] flamingos are a notable exception; even if adequately nourished, they may turn a pale pink if they are not fed carotene at levels comparable to the wild.<ref>{{cite book |title=American Zoo: A Sociological Safari |first=David |last=Grazian |year=2015 |location=Princeton, NJ, US |publisher=Princeton University Press |page=35 |isbn=978-0-691-16435-9 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SLpKCAAAQBAJ&pg=PA35}}</ref>

The [[greater flamingo]] is the tallest of the six different species of flamingos, standing at {{convert|3.9|to|4.7|ft}} with a weight up to {{convert|7.7|lb}}, and the shortest flamingo species (the [[lesser flamingo|lesser]]) has a height of {{convert|2.6|ft|1}} and weighs {{convert|5.5|lb}}. Flamingos can have a wingspan as small as {{convert|37|in|cm}} to as big as {{convert|59|in|cm}}.<ref>Bradford, Alina. 2014. Flamingo Facts: Food Turns Feathers Pink. September 18. Accessed March 2018. https://www.livescience.com/27322-flamingos.html</ref>

Flamingos can open their bills by raising the upper jaw as well as by dropping the lower.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1= Jenkin |first1= Penelope M. |title= The filter-feeding and food of flamingoes (Pheonicopteri) |journal= Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences |volume= 240 |issue= 674 |pages= 401–493 |date=1957-05-09 |doi= 10.1098/rstb.1957.0004 |bibcode= 1957RSPTB.240..401J |doi-access= free }}, page 409.</ref>