(Phoenicopterus roseus)
Location: East and Central Africa
Habitat: Shallow salt lagoons and lakes

The Greater African flamingo is the largest type of flamingo with males standing at about 5 feet tall. When feeding, flamingos lower their head to the water, almost turning it upside down. The head is moved back and forth while water is pumped in and out of the bill with the tongue. The water is forced out while invertebrates are trapped within the beak. 

The flamingos lay one egg in a tall mud nest. When the chick hatches, its bill is straight rather than curved. Both the male and female will take turns feeding and protecting the chick. A red liquid is regurgitated to the young by both parents for the chick's first few weeks of life. When the chick is about 10 days old, it is left with a "baby-sitter." The "baby-sitters" are adult birds that stay behind on feeding trips to watch the huge flock of young. As the chick gets older, its bill will become curved like its parents' and it will start feeding on invertebrates. The chick will begin to fly around 11 weeks of age.

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