flamingo

/fləˈmɪŋgoʊ/

/fləˈmɪŋgəʊ/

Other forms: flamingoes; flamingos

A flamingo is a large, long-necked pink bird that often stands on one leg. Florida is one of the few places in the U.S. to see flamingos, aside from zoos.

Though very few real flamingos are native to North America, you can spot the pink plastic lawn ornament version in front yards from California to Maine. These distinctive birds get their coloring from their food, and when flamingos in zoos aren't fed shrimp, their feathers fade to a white shade, rather than salmon pink. Flamingo is derived from the Spanish flamengo, "flame-colored."

Definitions of flamingo

1. noun

   large pink to scarlet web-footed wading bird with down-bent bill; inhabits brackish lakes
   type of:

   wader, wading bird

   any of many long-legged birds that wade in water in search of food