Information
The
American flamingo has an extremely slim rose-pink wading
bird as tall as a Great Blue Heron but much more slender.
It feeds with it's bill or head immersed. In flight it
shows much black in the wings; its extremely long neck
is extended droopily in front and the long legs trail
behind, giving the impression that the bird might easily
fly backward as forward. Pale washed-out birds may be
escapes from zoos as the color often fades under captive
conditions. Immatures are also much paler than normal
adults.
The Flamingo has a voice that sounds like a gooselike
or gabbling air honk. The Flamingo's range includes West
Indies, Yucatan, Galapagos Is. East - and Occasionally
on the Florida coast. It is difficult to determine whether
vagrants are truly wild or escapes. Hialeah Race Track,
Bok Sanctuary, Busch Gardens, etc., may be the sources
of stray Flamingos. The Flamingo's habitat includes salt
flats and saline lagoons.
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