Definitely looks like a stakeout rather than a fallout, and yet another novel adaptive landscape for the Phoenicopteridae. Although the new arrangement of the falcons and parrots has gotten a lot of press, the revelation that grebes and flamingoes share a common ancestor is just as amazing, although I think pink grebes wouldn't go over as well on lawns, leading to an evolutionary dead end for them. The grebe-flamingo thing is real, though, honest. They both have 11 primaries, whereas all other birds except storks have 10 or fewer. If you watched the Earthflight series, then you might have noticed the similarity of head-flagging displays performed by flamingoes and grebes, both of which also flare the mantle feathers (also shown in those films). For me, it was the first time that the staring, orange-red eye of flamingoes also reminded me of grebes. Cool find, Michael.
Louis Bevier
Fairfield
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