The most difficult flamin­gos riddles

Greater was the world's oldest greater flamingo, residing at the Adelaide Zoo in Adelaide, Australia. It was at least 83 years old, having arrived at the zoo from either Cairo or Hamburg in either 1933, 1930, 1925, or 1919, at which point it was already a full-grown adult. On October 29, 2008, Greater was attacked and beaten by four teenagers. In late January 2014, Greater's health deteriorated even further, and the decision was made to euthanize Greater.

The reddish color of flamingos comes from carotenoid proteins in their diet of animal and plant plankton. These proteins are broken down into pigments by liver enzymes.