Flamingo hows, wheres and whys: pink; errectile tissue; one
leg
Flamingos are a pretty underrated bird. But the more you
dig, the more you discover how strange they are, from their limbs to their
pigment to the erectile tissue in their mouths.
One of the most recognisable traits of this leggy bird is
how it seems to prefer to stand on one leg– even when asleep – with what
appears to its knee bent backwards. This actually its ankle and heel; the
flamingo’s knee is located much further up the limb, hidden underneath its
feathers. The whole area from the ankle to the toes is actually a giant foot.
The joint that looks like an ankle, right down the bottom, is actually the
beginnings of the toes. So effectively half the flamingo’s legs are actually
its feet, and the normal stance for a flamingo is on its tiptoes. This
arrangement makes more sense when you see a flamingo chick, whose legs and feet
are still developing.