- Phoenicopterus roseus
Identification
Length 120-145cm (47¼-57 in)
Wing span 140-170cm
Adult
- White, tinged pink
- Red wing coverts
- Black flight feathers
- Decurved bill with black tip, red-orange in middle and pale yellow near eye in nominate, dark pink in roseus
- Legs pink and extremely long
Juvenile
Grey-brown with whitish underparts
Similar Species
Chilean Flamingo has grey legs with pink knees. Lesser Flamingo is smaller, has a dark bill and a dark red eye.
Distribution
Locally in southern Europe and Mediterranean basin to South Africa and Indian subcontinent.
Taxonomy
This is a monotypic species.
Was formerly considered conspecific with American Flamingo.
Habitat
Salt pans and large bodies of shallow water, inland and coastal; saline and brackish waters preferred.
Behaviour
Highly gregarious.
Breeding
Breed in large colonies in nests that consists of mud compacted into a mound on top of which the nest of mud and twigs is situated, this is built by both sexes. 1 white egg is laid, and incubated by both parents for 27-31 days.
Diet
The diet includes small crustaceans, molluscs, and insects. When feeding they (at least in some areas) dip their head completely into the water, as opposed to some flamingo species that only seem to skim the surface.
Vocalisation
Loud cackles (reminiscent of Greylag Goose)
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2018. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2018. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Collins Field Guide 5th Edition
- Collins Bird Guide ISBN 0 00 219728 6
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Greater Flamingo. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 9 October 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Greater_Flamingo
External Links
GSearch checked for 2020 platform.1
