Chilean Flamingo

Chilean Flamingo

Phoenicopterus chilensis

IUCN red list status:
Near Threatened

For more information, please visit iucnredlist.org

Chilean Flamingo

About the Chilean Flamingo

The Chilean flamingo is a tall, large bodied bird with a long neck and small head. Most flamingos, including this species, have pale pink plumage and bills. They are found in Brazil, Ecuador, Chile, Peru and Argentina.

This subspecies of flamingo is slightly smaller than the Caribbean flamingo and has grey legs with pink bands at the joints. Chilean flamingos can reach a height of about 130cm, whereas the greater flamingo is the largest flamingo in the world and they can grow up to 187cm tall.

Did you know?

Flamingos are truly iconic birds; their pink knees are actually their ankles. Their beaks have evolved to filter out algae and their ankles. Their beaks have evolved to filter out algae and brine shrimp from the silt and mud, they feed head down, sweeping their head from side to side. The beta carotene found in their wild diet causes their feathers to turn pink, special ‘flamingo food’ keep our birds pink!