: any of several large aquatic birds (family Phoenicopteridae) with long legs and neck, webbed feet, a broad lamellate bill resembling that of a duck but abruptly bent downward, and usually rosy-white plumage with scarlet wing coverts and black wing quills
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And, at Flamingo Gardens in Davie, animal caretakers brought heat lamps in to keep the parrots warm and the flamingos buried their heads under their wings.—Cindy Krischer Goodman, Sun Sentinel, 1 Feb. 2026 Canada geese are protected, as well as most other geese, swans, ducks, cranes, cuckoos, hummingbirds, doves and flamingos.—Kyle Werner, Des Moines Register, 27 Jan. 2026 Either way, be sure to keep an eye out for the reserve’s native animal population, including fish, crabs, turtles, herons, flamingos, foxes, and dugongs, cousins to the North American manatee.—Condé Nast Traveler, 26 Jan. 2026 Flamingo Island Flea Market has 600 vendors selling everything from handmade ceramics to plastic flamingos.—Carrie Honaker, Travel + Leisure, 25 Jan. 2026 See All Example Sentences for flamingo
Word History
Etymology
obsolete Spanish flamengo (now flamenco), literally, Fleming, German (conventionally thought of as ruddy-complexioned)
: any of several rosy-white birds with scarlet wings, a very long neck and legs, and a broad bill bent down at the end that are often found wading in shallow water
Etymology
from Portuguese flamingo "flamingo," from Spanish flamenco "flamingo," derived from Latin flamma "flame"; so called from the fiery red feathers on the underside of the wings