Flamingos are large wading birds belonging to the family Phoenicopteridae, the only surviving family within the order Phoenicopteriformes. Their closest living relatives are grebes (Podicipediformes), and both groups make up the clade Mirandornithes.
Despite their different appearances, flamingos and grebes share several unique traits that distinguish the clade. These include wings with 12 primary feathers, a lower spine consisting of at least 23 vertebrae, and eggs coated in a chalky layer of calcium phosphate.
The name “flamingo” originates from the Spanish or Portuguese word flamengo, meaning “flame-coloured,” a reference to their striking pink plumage. This colouring is derived from aqueous bacteria and beta-carotene found in their diet, which includes brine shrimp and blue-green algae. Flamingos are filter feeders, and their specialised bills are adapted to function upside down, allowing them to separate mud and silt from their food.
Flamingos are highly social birds that live in large colonies, often numbering thousands of individuals. At the start of the breeding season, these colonies divide into smaller groups of up to 30 birds. Both males and females attract mates through elaborate courtship displays, which involve stretching their necks upwards, emitting calls while performing head-flagging motions, and flapping their wings.
Flamingos lay a single egg, and after the chick hatches, both parents feed it with crop milk. This milk is produced by glands lining the entire upper digestive tract and contains fat and protein, similar to mammalian milk, but lacking carbohydrates.
The chick remains in the nest for six days before joining small groups of other chicks, known as microcreches. After a few more days, these microcreches merge into larger creches that contain thousands of chicks. By around three months of age, the chicks’ flight feathers are fully developed, enabling them to fly.
There are six species of flamingo: four inhabit the New World, while two are found in the Old World.
The greater flamingo is the largest and most widespread species of flamingo, found in mudflats and shallow coastal lagoons with saltwater across Northern and sub-Saharan Africa, the Indian subcontinent, the Middle East, and Mediterranean regions of Southern Europe.
It stands at an average of 110 and 150 cm tall and weighs 2 to 4 kg, although the largest males can reach up to 187 cm in height and 4.5 kg in weight. The greater flamingo’s plumage is pale pink overall, with deep pink wing coverts and black primary and secondary flight feathers. Its eyes are yellow, its bill is pink with a black tip, and its legs and feet are also pink.
The lesser flamingo is the smallest flamingo species, standing 80–90 cm tall and weighing between 1.2 and 2.7 kg. It is found in sub-Saharan Africa and India and is thought to be the most numerous flamingo species, with an estimated population of around 2 million. It inhabits wetlands, shallow saline lakes, and salt pans.
Its plumage resembles that of the greater flamingo, but it can be distinguished by the larger amount of black on its bill and its bright orange-yellow eyes.
The Chilean flamingo is a New World species native to South America, with a range extending from Ecuador and Peru to Chile and Argentina, and eastward to Brazil, inhabiting wetlands, shallow soda lakes, and mudflats. It has also been introduced to Germany.
Its plumage is slightly pinker than that of the greater flamingo, with red wing coverts and black primary and secondary flight feathers. The legs are grey with bright pink joints, and nearly half of its bill is black. Its eyes are pale yellow.
James’s flamingo, also known as the puna flamingo, is found in high-altitude lakes and lagoons on the Andean plateaus of Peru, Chile, Bolivia, and northwest Argentina.
Similar in size to the lesser flamingo, it has very pale pink plumage with carmine streaks along the neck and back, as well as black flight feathers. It has bright red skin around the eyes, a yellow bill tipped with black, and brick-red legs.
The Andean flamingo is native to the Andes Mountains of South America. During the summer, it inhabits salt lakes, but in winter, it migrates to lower wetlands, likely due to the extreme aridity of the salt flats during the colder months.
Its plumage is pale pink, with darker pink on the upperparts, neck, breast, and wing coverts, along with black primary flight feathers. It has dark red eyes, a pale yellow beak with a prominent black tip, and is the only species of flamingo to have yellow legs and feet.
The American flamingo, also known as the Caribbean flamingo, is closely related to the greater flamingo and the Chilean flamingo. It is native to the West Indies, northern South America, including the Galápagos Islands, and the Yucatán Peninsula, where it inhabits brackish coastal or inland lakes, saline lagoons, and mudflats.
It has deep reddish-pink plumage, with red wing coverts and black primary and secondary flight feathers. Its eyes are orange-yellow, the beak is pink and white with a black tip, and its legs and feet are pink.