Greater flamingo at Pulicat Lake - The wading birds have long legs with backward-bending knees, long curvy necks, and most noticeably, they are pink. Adult flamingos are four to five feet tall.
Flamingos tend to congregate in mudflats or lagoons, where they can find shallow saltwater prey. These habitats are also difficult for predators to negotiate.
Flamingos feed by stirring up mud with their feet. Then they reach down and scoop up a beakful of mud and water. Their beaks are designed to strain animals out of the mud, and the muddy water is expelled. This happens as the flamingo’s head is upside-down.
The Greater flamingo (Phoenicopterus roseus) is the most widespread species, that inhabits the coasts of Africa, Asia, and southern Europe.
