Flamingos live in Africa, the Middle East, Europe, South America, the Caribbean, and have re-emerged in southern Florida. These highly social, monogamous birds lay 1 egg every year, and it takes about 3 years for the babies, who are born white or gray, to develop the red, orange or pink plumage of the adult stage.

Adult flamingos’ legs can be up to 50 inches long, and they will often stand upon 1 leg to help control their body temperature in cold water. Interestingly, the bends in the middle of their legs are actually ankles, not knees. Their knees are hidden among the feathers much higher up the leg.

There are about 950,000 live flamingos planet-wide, while millions of plastic flamingos grace lawns across the U.S.A.