There are six distinct species of flamingo but it can take a trained eye to tell the difference between them as some of the differences can be quite subtle. Even though the adult birds are four to five feet tall, they only weigh between four and eight pounds which is the body density required to enable them to fly.
Due to their long necks and their long legs, the flamingo can appear quite clumsy when they fly. However, during migration, they can actually fly at a speed of up to 37 miles per hour (nearly 60 kilometres an hour) and travel distances over 300 miles to reach a new habitat.
Probably one of the most recognisable birds in the world due to their long curvy necks and long legs and, of course, their colour, flamingos tend to congregate in mudflats or lagoons where their specially adapted bills easily filter their prey from the shallow salt water.
The fourth coin in the series features the Greater Flamingo which is the largest of the species reaching heights of 150cm/59in. Most of the plumage is pinkish white but the wing coverts are red.
The bill is pink with a black tip and its legs are entirely pink. Greater flamingos are social birds and live together in flocks or dense colonies which can number over 20,000 birds. This offers them protection against any predators while they have their heads in the mud when feeding.The coin depicts two adult Greater Flamingos wading in shallow water. The coin has been produced in Virenium, a metal developed by Pobjoy Mint which is light gold in colour. The obverse of the coin features the exclusive Pobjoy Mint effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
