A LITTLE WILDLIFE PERSPECTIVE
How tall is a flamingo?
Compare your height to a flamingo.
A greater flamingo stands about 1.2–1.5 m (3 ft 11 in–4 ft 11 in) tall. Its very long legs account for much of that height.
A LITTLE PERSPECTIVE
Flamingo
next to the average.
Average U.S. adults, side by side.
- Average man (U.S.)5 ft 8.9 in
- Flamingo4 ft 3.2 in
- Average woman (U.S.)5 ft 3.5 in
How do you measure up?
Enter your height to stand beside a flamingo.
Side by side
- Flamingo4 ft 3.2 in
- Your placeAdd your height
The animal is an example adult in the pose shown. Its full outline is scaled to 130 cm. Shoulder height and body length are explained below.
Where do you stand?
Keep this comparison and open the full library of people, celebrities, animals, and objects.
GET TO KNOW THE ANIMAL
Small facts. Big discoveries.
Greater flamingo · Phoenicopterus roseus
A flamingo feeds with its head upside down, filtering tiny food from shallow water. Pigments in that food help create its famous pink feathers.
The conspicuous joint halfway up a flamingo’s leg is its ankle; the knee sits much closer to the body and is hidden from view. Webbing between the toes helps with swimming and stirring food, adding another useful adaptation beneath those unusually long legs.
- Greater flamingos make nests from mud.
- Both parents take turns keeping their egg warm.
How big do adults get?
- Male
- Shared range: 1.2–1.5 m; usually larger
- Female
- Shared range: 1.2–1.5 m; usually smaller
The shared adult standing range is 1.2–1.5 m. Other flamingo species can be shorter; size alone is not a reliable way to tell a bird’s sex.
Height, length, or weight?
Standing height runs from the ground to the top of the animal. Shoulder height stops at the top of the shoulders. Length runs along the body; it is not how tall an animal stands. Weight tells us how heavy it is.
Explore the science: SeaWorld · flamingo size and color ↗ · Chester Zoo · greater flamingo ↗