Photographed by Bette Jackson



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Hi, I'm Dr. Jerry Jackson, out with the wild things. If you’d like to see greater flamingos in the wild in Florida, your best bet is to arrange a boat tour from Flamingo at Everglades National Park or to hike to the end of the 1.6 mile long Snake Bight Trail near Flamingo. The flamingos are most often seen from October through February and are usually seen at a great distance out on the mud flats. If you hike the Snake Bight Trail, go prepared for the distance, the mosquitoes, and the spectacular views of the coastal Everglades and its wading birds. While the characteristic pink plumage, ‘S’-curved neck, and long legs of a resting flamingo are hard to miss, keep your eyes on the sky, too. Flamingos fly with their long necks stretched nearly straight out and with their long legs trailing nearly straight behind. While a flamingo's body is bright pink, in flight, the greater flamingo shows us its long pointed wings with pink linings and a trailing edge of black flight feathers. Immature flamingos are generally much paler than older birds.