Pretty Popular Pink Flamingos

If you’ve been to the zoo or watched many cartoons, you’ve likely seen a flamingo. Flamingos are one of the most popular and easily recognized birds. Their long, stick-like legs, pink feathers, and big black beaks help them stand out among birds. In fact, flamingos are so iconic that a mayor in Massachusetts declared June 23 as Pink Flamingo Day—only he wasn’t talking about the real bird; he was talking about the pink plastic flamingos used to decorate lawns and flowerbeds!

That’s a silly “holiday,” but the flamingo itself is no silly matter. It’s a beautiful picture of God’s handiwork in creation.

Evolutionists admit that the evolution-of-flamingos narrative is full of holes, theories, and questions.

Evolutionists admit that the evolution-of-flamingos narrative is full of holes, theories, and questions, yet they claim the unique aspects of this type of bird developed about 30 million years ago. However, when we study the Bible book of Genesis, we know the true origin of this fascinating bird. God created birds on Day Five of the creation week, approximately 6,000 years ago (Genesis 1:20–22).

Here is the scientific classification of flamingoes:

Kingdom: Animal

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Aves

Order: Pheonicopteriformes

Family: Phoenicopterideae

There are six known species of flamingo: Greater flamingo, Lesser flamingo, Chilean flamingo, James’s flamingo, Andean flamingo, and American flamingo. Because the flamingo is a “kind” (kind is the biblical word for “family” in the scientific classification), they would have been on Noah’s ark with all the other original “kinds” of animals!

Fun Facts About Flamingos1

• Flamingos live in shallow lakes, swamps, and islands in Africa, Asia, America, and Europe.
• Flamingo species can grow to 3.3–4.6 feet tall and weigh up to 9 pounds.
• Their wings span 3 to 5.5 feet wide and can fly up to 37 miles per hour.
• Their feathers turn pink because of the pigments (colors) in the foods they eat, such as shrimp, algae, and crustaceans.
• They lay just one egg each year. The baby hatches in a nest made of mud.
• They turn their head upside down to eat, sucking water in and filtering the food.
• Flamingos live in groups called colonies, which can have millions of birds.
• They can live between 20 and 30 years.
• When flamingos rest, they balance on one leg.
• Their “knee” is actually an ankle joint. Their actual knee is at the top of their legs, hidden by feathers.