flamingo
n. countablen. a large pink or orange bird with very long legs and a long neck. They often stand on one leg in shallow water.
n. a large, gregarious wading bird of the family Phoenicopteridae, characterised by pink or reddish plumage, a long neck, and a downward-curving bill.
The flamingo stood perfectly still on one leg.
Visitors at the zoo watched the flamingo use its curved beak to filter small organisms from the water.
The vibrant pink hue of a flamingo's feathers is not innate but is derived from the carotenoid pigments found in the algae and crustaceans that constitute its primary diet.
From Portuguese flamengo (“flamingo”) and Spanish flamenco (“flamingo”), which were adapted from Catalan flamenc (“flamingo”), of disputed ultimate origin in this sense. All three forms are used adjectivally as an ethnonym meaning 'Flemish' (of Germanic origin, cognate to English Fleming); Spanish flamenco refers also to a dance type. Compare also French flamant (“flamingo”). *The bird's name may derive from the ethnonym by an association of a ruddy complexion or hair color with the Flemings; this etymology is supported by Corominas. (In Spanish, flamenco can be used colloquially as an adjective meaning "robust, healthy-looking".) * Alternatively, the dance flamenco, the bird name, or both come from attaching the same Germanic-derived ending found in the ethnonym to the distinct root of Latin flamma (“flame”): i.e. Catalan flamenc has been analyzed as flama (“flame”) + -enc. Compare also Portuguese -engo.
The plural form is usually 'flamingos', though 'flamingoes' is also an accepted spelling.