Pink Flamingoes Face Extinction
by Bonnie Alter, London 
on 10.20.06
The pink flamingo, the ubiquitous plastic bird whose natural habitat is the front lawns of America, is about to become an endangered species. After 49 years, and twenty million sales, the company that produces them is going out of business. The proud bird started its life in Florida and soon migrated across North America. From its lowly status as a garden joke, it became a "combination of all we know--kitsch, history, simplicity and elegance", according to a university professor. The famous bird originated from a picture in National Geographic; and its creator, Donald Featherstone, can still be sighted, sporting a shirt with you-know-whats on it. For all frantic birdwatchers: a note of hope: Wal-Mart sells 250,000 a year, and there may still be some left there. :: Guardian
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