Greater Flamingo

Phoenicopterus ruberOrder: CICONIIFORMES Family: Flamingos (Phoenicopteridae)

Codes: Common Name: GFLA Scientific Name: PHORUB ITIS Taxonomic No.: 174976

Related Birds

Roseate Spoonbill

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Overview

Greater Flamingo: Tall, unique wading bird, entirely pink except for black-tipped bill that is bent at a curious angle. Feeds on algal material, bacteria diatoms, plankton, small fish and brine fly larvae. Direct flight with rapid wing beats. Flies in straight line formation. AKA American Flamingo.

Range and Habitat

Greater Flamingo: Distribution centered around the Caribbean with stragglers showing up in Florida, Texas, northern South America, Yucatan, and the Galapagos Islands. North American sightings may be wild individuals or escaped captives.

Topo Map: Long-legged-like Body

Listen to Call

Voice Text

"huh-huh-huh"

Interesting Facts

The Greater Flamingo is the most widespread species of the flamingo family. It is the state bird of Gujarat, India.

At the beginning of the nesting season, they perform mass courtship displays, where hundreds move together in a coordinated walk.

In ancient Rome, flamingo tongues were regarded as a delicacy. As recently as 30 years ago, flamingos and their eggs were eaten by people in parts of southern Europe and the Caribbean.

A group of flamingos has many collective nouns, including a "colony", "flamboyance", "flurry", "regiment", and "stand" of flamingos.

Bird Term Glossary

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Bird Call Credits: The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Martyn Stewart, http://www.naturesound.org, Redmond, Washington USA. The reuse or copying of bird calls in this database is strictly forbidden.

Greater Flamingo

● Song: "huh-huh-huh"

● Foraging & Feeding: Greater Flamingo: Eats algae, aquatic invertebrates, and small fish. Wades in deep or shallow water, submersing head to suck up muddy ooze and strain food out with its odd, filter-like bill; food quality determines the intensity of its pink coloration; forages on coastal mudflats, estuaries, and lagoons, usually in large flocks.

● Breeding & nesting: Greater Flamingo: One white egg is laid on a mud cone measuring about a foot in height; nests on mudflats in huge colonies of up to 7,000 pairs. Both parents incubate egg for 28 to 32 days. After hatching, all the chicks in a colony gather in a crèche or group for safety; chicks are able to fly at about 75 days old.

● Similar species: Greater Flamingo: Roseate Spoonbill has a white neck and gray, flattened bill. Scarlet Ibis is much smaller and has a long slender curving bill. Other species of flamingos kept in captivity that occasionally escape are generally paler in color.

Flight Pattern

Flies in large groups with rapid wingbeats, head and legs fully extended.

● Range & Habitat: Greater Flamingo: Distribution centered around the Caribbean with stragglers showing up in Florida, Texas, northern South America, Yucatan, and the Galapagos Islands. North American sightings may be wild individuals or escaped captives.

^BreedingMonogamous, Colonial

^Population

^MigrationNonmigratory

^Weight124.8 Ounces

Long-legged-like Body

4 and 6 letter alpha codes

The four letter common name alpha code is is derived from the first two letters of the common first name and the first two letters of common last name. The six letter species name alpha code is derived from the first three letters of the scientific name (genus) and the first three letters of the scientific name (species). See (1) below for the rules used to create the codes..

Four-letter (for English common names) and six-letter (for scientific names) species alpha codes were developed by Pyle and DeSante (2003, North American Bird-Bander 28:64-79) to reflect A.O.U. taxonomy and nomenclature (A.O.U. 1998) as modified by Supplements 42 (Auk 117:847-858, 2000) and 43 (Auk 119:897-906, 2002). The list has been updated by Pyle and DeSante to reflect changes reported by the A.O.U from 2003 through 2006.

Field Guide to Birds of North America