General

American Flamingo: Tall, unique wading bird, entirely pink except for its black-tipped bill that is bent at a curious angle. Sexes are similar. Juvenile is gray with a pink hue and yellow bill.

Range and Habitat

American 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.

Breeding and Nesting

American 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.

Foraging and Feeding

American 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.

Vocalization

American Flamingo: Flocks chuckle softly, but when alarmed may grow into a deep-throated, honking "huh-huh-huh."

Similar Species

American 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.