I just had to pass on this story, as reported by Kevin Murphy of Reuters:
Eight years ago, an African flamingo escaped from a Wichita, Kansas zoo … flew the coop, so to speak! He/she was recently spotted by birder, Neil Hayward, approximately 670 miles to the south, in the Gulf of Mexico. (The bird was wearing a zoo identification leg band, number 492.) Apparently, flamingos pair for life. My hope is that he/she has found a lovely companion and together they are sharing a proper bit of bird freedom!