Gazelle : The Palestinian Biological Bulletin (ISSN 0178 – 6288) . Number 146, February 2017, pp. 1-25. | Page 5

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Description
This is the largest species of flamingo, averaging 110–150 cm (43–60 in) tall and
weighing 2–4 kg (4.4–8.8 lbs). The largest male flamingos have been recorded at
up to 187 cm (74 in) tall and 4.5 kg (10 lbs). It is closely related to the American
flamingo and Chilean flamingo, with which it has sometimes been considered
conspecific, but that treatment is now widely seen (e.g., by the American and
British Ornithologists' Union) as incorrect and based on insufficient evidence
(Wikipedia).

A Greater Flamingo (Phoenicopterus roseus Pallas, 1811) at Ras Al Khor Wildlife Sanctuary in
Dubai, UAE. Photo by my precious daughter Nora Norman Ali Khalaf. 13.06.2015.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/50022881@N00/18981213089

Like all flamingos, this species lays a single chalky-white egg on a mud mound.
Most of the plumage is pinkish-white, but the wing coverts are red and the
primary and secondary flight feathers are black. The bill is pink with a restricted
black tip, and the legs are entirely pink. The call is a goose-like honking. Subadult flamingos are whitish-grey and only attain the pink coloration several
years into their adult life. The coloration comes from the carotenoid pigments in
the organisms that live in their feeding grounds (Wikipedia).
The bird resides in mudflats and shallow coastal lagoons with salt water. Using
its feet, the bird stirs up the mud, and then sucks water through its bill and filters
Gazelle : The Palestinian Biological Bulletin – Number 146 – February 2017