Flamingos are a type of wading bird in the genus Phoenicopterus. There are four flamingo species in the Americas and two species in the Old World.Flamingos often stand on one leg, the other leg tucked beneath the body. The reason for this behavior is not fully understood. Recent research indicates that standing on one leg may allow the birds to conserve more body heat, given that they spend a significant amount of time wading in cold water. Young flamingos hatch with greyish reddish plumage, but adults range from light pink to bright red due to aqueous bacteria and beta-Carotene obtained from their food supply. Captive flamingos are a notable exception; many turn a pale pink as they are not fed carotene at levels comparable to the wild.