FLAMINGO. 



Phcenicopterus ruber. 



Char. General color bright pink, deepest on breast and wings; pri- 

 mary and secondary feathers of wings black ; base of bill yellow, terminal 

 half black. Legs red. The young are paler, the pink tints deepening 

 with age. Length about 4 feet. Stature nearly 5 feet. 



Nest. Usually in a colony, situated on the shore of a shallow lagoon 

 or pond, or on a mud island, — a saucer-like depression in the mud, with a 

 rim or bulwark 3 to 6 inches in height. Sometimes a cone-shaped mound 

 of mud is built up from the bottom of the lagoon and raised 8 to 10 inches 

 or higher above the water level. 



Eggs. 2 ; white, much elongated, and with a rough plaster-like surface ; 

 3.60 X 2.20. 



