[Description Section *the below paragraph is copied and modified from the existing flamingos article]
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.[1] 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.[2]
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.[3] 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.[3][4]
[Additional information about feeding]
Though flamingos prefer to drink freshwater, they are equipped with glands under their eyes that remove extra salt from their bodies. This organ allows them to drink saltwater as well.[3]
[Additional information for the Life Cycle section to be added at the end of the last paragraph]
When young flamingos are around three to three and a half months old, their flight feathers will finish growing in, allowing them to fly.[3]
[Additional Information to add about the different flamingo species]
| Greater Flamingo | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Lesser Flamingo | |||
| Chilean Flamingo | |||
| Jame's/Puna | The James flamingo was believed to be extinct for roughly 100 years until more were found in 1957. [3] | ||
| Andean | |||
| American/Carribean |
[Additional Info for the Other Relationships With Humans section]
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- In the United States, pink plastic flamingos are sometimes used as lawn ornaments.[5] They were first designed by Don Featherstone in 1957.[6] Their popularity was influenced in part by the prevalence of flamingo souvenirs in Florida along with the Flamingo grand hotel in Miami Beach, prompting the correlation of flamingos with style and wealth.[6]
- ^ Walker, Matt (13 August 2009). "Why flamingoes stand on one leg". BBC News. Retrieved 9 December 2009.
- ^ Chang, Young-Hui; Ting, Lena H. (24 May 2017). "Mechanical evidence that flamingos can support their body on one leg with little active muscular force". Biology Letters. 13 (5): 20160948. doi:10.1098/rsbl.2016.0948. PMC 5454233. PMID 28539457.
- ^ a b c d e f Arnold, Caroline (1991). Flamingo. Illustrated by Richard Hewett. Morrow Junior Books. pp. 11, 13, 22, 41. ISBN 9780688094119.
- ^ Bildstein, Keith L.; Frederick, Peter C.; Spalding, Marilyn G. (November 1991). "Feeding Patterns and Aggressive Behavior in Juvenile and Adult American Flamingos". The Condor. 93 (4): 916–925. doi:10.2307/3247726. JSTOR 3247726.
- ^ Collins, Clayton (2 November 2006). "Backstory: Extinction of an American icon?". Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved 9 February 2010.
- ^ a b Price, Jennifer (1999). "The Plastic Pink Flamingo: A Natural History". The American Scholar. 68 (2): 5, 6 – via JSTOR.