Common Name: Chilean Flamingo Scientific Name: Phoenicopterus chilensis
NEAR THREATENED Chilean Flamingo Distribution: Southern South America
Habitat: Wetland & Coast Height: 110 - 130cm Weight: Approx. 4kg Diet: Omnivorous
They birds are easily identifiable. The Chilean species is smaller and paler than its relatives. Their pink colour doesn’t just appear; it comes from the food they eat. The pink colouring in shrimp, krill and other small crustaceans gives their feathers the characteristic colour. The knob in the middle of their leg is often mistaken for the knee, but it is the ankle.
Chilean flamingos are found in Chile, Argentina, and Bolivia where they inhabit highland lakes, estuaries and lagoons. They occur in flocks that can range from a few individuals to tens of thousands. Flamingos eat small crustaceans like shrimps, molluscs and algae, which they take from the water with their sieve like bills. Flamingos mate for life (they are monogamous). Once mated these large birds will make a nest out of mud. They scrape the mud together to make a mound that stands clear of the salty water. They lay a single large egg, which is incubated for 30 days. The young then stay with the adults for a long migration. These birds may live up to 50 years but reproduce slowly. They are threatened due to hunting for food and plumage and habitat destruction.