RANGE South America, from Chile to Argentina
HABITAT Tropical and warm climates; inhabit coastal mudflats, estuaries, lagoons, and salt-lakes. Live at elevations of up to 15,000 feet above sea level.
DIET Includes algae, diatoms, aquatic invertebrates such as crustaceans and mollusks
The Chilean species is smaller and paler than most of its relatives. What appears to be the bird's knee is actually its ankle—the joint bends backward rather than forward. A flamingo neck has 19 vertebrae, while humans have only seven.
Chicks have gray plumage; they don't gain adult coloration for two to three years.
These very social birds live in flocks that can number in the thousands. The large group is their main defense against predators.
Flamingo fossil records date back to about 10 million years ago to the Miocene period. They are one of the oldest bird groups alive.
There has been a reduction in the number of Chilean flamingos due to habitat loss and degradation, harvesting, and human disturbance.
Humans are the main threat to Chilean flamingos due to either direct misuse or elimination of habitats or from indirect damage such as changing land characteristics, like changes in water level.
