84 THE BIRDS OF THE BRITISH ISLES. 



Order PHCENICOPTERIFORMES. 



Family PHCENICOPTERID^. Flamingoes. 



Long-legged Stork-like birds with many Duck-like characters. 

 Serrated bill much bent. 



Flamingo. Phcoiicoptems antiquortim Temm. 



The claim of the Flamingo, an African, Asiatic, and south 

 European species, to rank as British is founded upon a few 

 records of apparently wild birds killed or seen in England. 

 The Flamingo is often kept in captivity, and numbers are 

 known to have escaped or have been given freedom ; it is 

 practically impossible to say which of the records should be 

 trusted. There is no reason to doubt the occasional wandering 

 of a bird that nests in Spain and southern France, especially as 

 it has many times been met with in western Europe, but to 

 trace the history of any particular bird is most difficult. 



The Flamingo is a tall pinkish-white bird with black flight 

 feathers and scarlet coverts ; its neck is long and its heavy 

 pink and black bill, lamellated like that of a duck, is curiously 

 bent downwards. Its very long legs are pink and its feet are 

 webbed ; the eyes and the surrounding skin are yellow. Young 

 birds are barred on the wings, show much less pink, and have 

 leaden bills and legs. The size is variable. Length, about 55 

 ins. Wing, 16 ins. Tarsus, 13 ins. 



Order ARDEIFORMES. 



Family ARDEID^. Herons. 



Wading birds with long legs and strong, straight bills ; toes 

 Dn same level ; claw of middle toe with a comb. 



