flamingo

fla·min·go

noun \flə-ˈmiŋ-(ˌ)gō\

plural fla·min·gos also fla·min·goes

Definition of FLAMINGO

: any of several large aquatic birds (family Phoenicopteridae) with long legs and neck, webbed feet, a broad lamellate bill resembling that of a duck but abruptly bent downward, and usually rosy-white plumage with scarlet wing coverts and black wing quills

Illustration of FLAMINGO

Origin of FLAMINGO

obsolete Spanish flamengo (now flamenco), literally, Fleming, German (conventionally thought of as ruddy-complexioned)

First Known Use: 1565

flamingo

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

Any of five species of tall wading birds constituting the family Phoenicopteridae. The plumage is mainly pink, and the face is bare. Flamingos have webbed feet, a slender body, a long thin neck, large wings, and a short tail. They are about 3–5 ft (90–150 cm) tall. Flamingos flock by the hundreds (sometimes by the millions) in flight formations and wading groups. They walk the shallows, stirring up organic matter, especially tiny mollusks and crustaceans, which they strain from the muddy water with their sievelike bills. The various species are found along Atlantic and Gulf coasts of tropical and subtropical North America and in South America, Africa, southern Europe, Asia, Madagascar, and India.