The Chilean flamingo, or Phoenicopterus chilensis, ranges in the wild from Argentina to Chile in South America. It lives anywhere from sea level to mountains that reach 14,760 feet (4,500 m). These birds are amongst the larger types of flamingos. Chilean flamingos can live for as long as 50 years in the wild and up to 40 years in captivity.
Phoenicopterus chilensis have a height between 3.6 to 4.3 feet (1.1 to 1.3 m). A Chilean flamingo might have a wing span between 3.9 to 4.9 feet (1.2 to 1.5 m). These birds can weigh between 5.5 and 7.7 pounds (2.5 to 3.5 kg).
The feathers of the Chilean flamingo are largely pink. Wing feathers are typically range from a darker pink to a red color and include black flight feathers, which help with power and lift when these birds are flying. These birds’ feet and joints are also pink, although their legs range in color from a yellow to a yellow-gray. Their downward-curving beaks start a pinkish-white and then turn black before the “halfway” mark. An immature Chilean flamingo has largely gray plumage.
Chilean flamingos are social birds. They live in large colonies or flocks that can include 1,000 or more birds. Natural predators of these birds are few and include gulls and human beings. Gulls will eat Chilean flamingo eggs. Human beings eat flamingo eggs and tongues, use the birds’ feathers, and hunt the birds for sport. People have of an additional impact on Chilean flamingos as a result of damaging the birds’ natural habitats. According to the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species (CITES) Appendix II, Chilean flamingos are considered to be a near-threatened species.
Like other types of flamingos, Chilean flamingos are filter feeders and swish their beaks through water near the surface after using their feet to kick up mud in order to find food. These birds have slits on the tops of their beaks which take in water. Their tongues force this water through combs or spines called lamellae, which are located at the edges of the bill, to catch food such as seeds, insect larvae, worms, and plankton.
The Chilean flamingo is sexually mature when the bird reaches about six years. A female typically produces one egg, which incubates for 26 to 31 days. After the egg hatches, the chick is fed a substance called “crop milk.” Crop milk is developed in the upper digestive tracks of both male and female birds. In addition to having its parents feed the chick crop milk, other flamingos can provide milk to the chick.