The Lesser Flamingo is the smallest of the world’s six flamingos species, but don’t let their size fool you. They thrive in environments that are deadly to most other animals!

Lesser Flamingo Superpowers:
1. Inhabits caustic, highly alkaline lakes that would burn the skin of humans and other animals.
2. Lives in lake water that reaches temperatures of 140 degrees Fahrenheit.
3. Eats toxic cyanobacteria for breakfast. While cyanobacteria (or blue-green algae) contains toxins that are dangerous to most other animals, it is the Lesser Flamingo’s primary diet, and gives them their pink color.
4. Capable of drinking near-boiling water around hot springs and geysers.
5. If fresh water is not available, Lesser Flamingos can drink salt water. Glands in their heads remove the salts, which are then excreted through the nostrils.

Despite their ability to adapt to hostile habitats, these flamingos are at risk of rapid population decline. With only a few key breeding sites, any habitat loss has dramatic implications for their numbers in the wild. Currently, wild populations are estimated at between 2 million and 3 million birds.