flamingo
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The greater, or roseate, flamingo may seem strangely built but it is, in fact, perfectly adapted to its environment. Its long legs enable it to feed while standing in water; its beak is held horizontally beneath the water. Water flows into the beak and is expelled through a mesh of fine hairs which sieves out food particles.
Long-legged and long-necked wading bird, family Phoenicopteridae, of the stork order Ciconiiformes. Largest of the family is the greater or roseate flamingo Phoenicopterus ruber, found in Africa, the Caribbean, and South America, with delicate pink plumage and 1.25 m/4 ft tall. They sift the mud for food with their downbent bills, and build colonies of high, conelike mud nests, with a little hollow for the eggs at the top.
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