Flamingos get their pink colour from tiny shrimps and algae that they eat. These foods contain natural pink and orange pigments, and the colour builds up in the flamingo's feathers over time. A flamingo that does not eat enough of these pink foods gradually turns white! This means you can tell how well-fed a flamingo is just by looking at how bright its feathers are.
The flamingo's beak is one of the most unusual in the bird world. It is bent in the middle like a broken arm, and the flamingo holds it upside-down in the water to feed. Special plates inside act like a strainer, filtering out tiny food while pushing out the muddy water. The tongue pumps in and out dozens of times a minute to help with this.
Flamingos are very social birds and love company. They live in flocks that can number in the thousands, and they are very noisy — a large flock sounds like a busy playground. They build mud nests shaped like small volcanoes and both parents take turns keeping the single egg warm before the fluffy grey chick hatches.