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KD Country: Flamingo Connection

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Oct 1, 2009 6:52 pm US/Eastern

KD Country: Flamingo Connection

Reporting
Dave Crawley
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) ― Though they can stand as still as lawn ornaments, the pink flamingos at the National Aviary are very real.

KDKA's Dave Crawley met them face-to-beak.

"We're going to make our way through the jungle here and out onto our beach to meet our greater American flamingos," Bird trainer Dave Miller said as he led Crawley down the steps and into the heart of the tropical bird exhibit.

"Squat down to their level and that will make them nice and comfortable," he advised. "I just want you to clap real gently. They're going to come up and bump and greet you."

The greeting Crawley got from the tall birds includes some "preening" of his hair.

"That's a very social thing that flamingos do," Miller explains. "And they're kind of welcoming you into their little pack."

The most sociable flamingos are the three youngest, hand-raised by humans. The adults are a bit more standoffish, with emphasis on "stand."

"Standing on one leg is just like us leaning against something, except they don't have arms to lean against something. So they just lift one leg and lock it," Miller explained.

They can fly in search of food if they have to, but at the Aviary, they don't. Visitors can rub shoulders with these feathered friends for $30 Wednesday through Sunday.

It's a rare opportunity to mingle with flamingos.

(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

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© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.