Chilean Flamingo
A species of Greater Flamingos Scientific name : Phoenicopterus chilensis Genus : Greater Flamingos
Chilean Flamingo, A species of Greater Flamingos
Botanical name: Phoenicopterus chilensis
Genus: Greater Flamingos
Content
Description General Info
Description
The plumage is pinker than the slightly larger greater flamingo, but less so than the Caribbean flamingo. It can be differentiated from these species by its grayish legs with pink joints (tibiotarsal articulation), and also by the larger amount of black on the bill (more than half). Young chicks may have no sign of pink coloring whatsoever, but instead remain gray.
Size
1.05 m
Life Expectancy
50 years
Nest Placement
Ground
Feeding Habits
Chilean Flamingo primarily feeds on aquatic invertebrates, including crustaceans like brine shrimp, and various larvae. Chilean Flamingo employs a unique filter-feeding system, sifting food from water with specialized beaks, favoring foraging in alkaline or saline waters.
Habitat
Chilean Flamingo typically inhabits coastal and inland waters such as mudflats, estuaries, lagoons, and salt lakes, ranging from sea level to high-altitude areas up to 4500 meters. They favor aquatic environments that are highly saline or undergo periodic drying, often in regions devoid of fish, which may be due to natural conditions or human intervention. Breeding sites commonly include mud or gravel islands and islets, stony islands in broader geographical regions like Chile, and even along sediment-covered ice sheets in areas such as Bolivia.
Dite type
Aquatic invertebrate eater
General Info
Feeding Habits
Bird food type
Species Status
Not globally threatened.
Scientific Classification
Phylum
Chordates Class
Birds Order
Flamingos Family
Flamingos Genus
Greater Flamingos Species
Chilean Flamingo