Flamingos are the only wading birds in the Phoenicopteridae family, and phoenicopteriformes is the only one. There are four species of flamingos in America and two in the old world.

Flamingos usually stand on one leg and hide the other under their body. The reason for this behavior is not entirely clear. One theory is that because they spend a lot of time wading in cold water, standing on one leg can save birds more body heat. However, this behavior also occurs in warm water and can be observed in birds that do not normally lie in the water. Another theory is that standing on one foot can reduce the energy consumption of generating muscle strength to stand and balance one foot. A study of corpses has shown that one legged posture can be maintained without any muscle activity, while living flamingos have shown a significant reduction in one legged posture. Flamingos can not only stand in the water, but also step on their webbed feet in the mud and stir food from the bottom.

Young flamingos hatch grayish red feathers, but adults range from light pink to bright red because of the aquatic bacteria and beta carotene they get from food. Full of food, healthy flamingos are more colorful, so they are more ideal partners. However, white or reddish flamingos are usually unhealthy or malnourished. The captive Flamingo is an obvious exception. If carotenes are not fed at the same level as wild animals and plants, they may turn pale pink.