Flamingo Rising

Phoenicopteri (Phoenix’s wings) – also known as flamingos. We know them for their distinct and beautiful style. They have long necks, they come in roaring shades of pink, and form heart images when standing face to face.

They’ve also become part of popular culture. Many people in the USA use plastic flamingos as lawn ornaments.

Author Lewis Carroll gave us beautiful images to work with when he envisioned the Queen of Hearts using flamingos as croquet bats.

Also: The first major casino in Las Vegas was named the Flamingo.

Flamingos are intriguing creatures. They live in huge colonies, under complex social structures, and form strong bonds between pairs. They feed their offspring with crop milk, perform synchronized ritual displays, and filter-feed on shrimp and algae using specialized sieving beaks.

In larger colonies they’re known to swap mates, and like to stand on one leg.

For a magnificent image bird’s-eye view, scroll to the bottom of the page…