Flamingo

Flamingos are very strange birds. They usually are found standing in shallow water in Africa on one leg. This is thought to be a state of rest for half of the flamingo's body, and that when they switch, it is because the other half is resting. A more likely reason is to stir up the food near the bottom of the water so that it comes to the surface where the flamingo can easily eat it.

Flamingos have a special way of filter feeding, and can separate mud from the food they eat. If not given enough food with color, flamingos become a sickly pale salmon color. Flamingos who feed on dark colored algae are typically darker in color than the average flamingo. It has been shown that zoo flamingos are usually paler in color than ones left to feed in the wild.

Flamingos hang in flocks of up to 2000, and do this to limit predators, maximize food, and have easier nesting ground. These birds nest down in mud to hatch their young, and a spot is (as usual) chosen by the female. Groups are now split into 10-20 birds. After a few weeks, the baby birds are released into groups of other young, where they grow up without parents.