American Flamingo (Phoenicopterus ruber) Fact Sheet: Summary

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Aves

Order: Phoenicopteriformes

Family: Phoenicopteridae

Genus: Phoenicopterus

Species: P. ruber

Body Weight:
Males: 2.8 kg (6.2 lbs);
Females: 2.2 kg (4.8 lbs).

Wing Span:
Males 401-425 mm (15.8-16.7 in);
Females: 370-408 mm (14.6-16.1 in).

Plumage: Bright orange/pink; rump, head, neck, wing coverts slightly darker; black flight feathers.

Beak: Sharply downcurved; lower bill thicker; numerous keratinous plates serve as filter feeding mechanism.

Range: N. Caribbean (Cuba, Hispaniola, Bahamas); S. Caribbean Yukatan, N. coast of South America from Colombia to French Guiana, Venezuelan islands, Bonaire); Yucatan peninsula, Galapagos islands.

Habitat: saline lagoons; muddy, shallow lakes.

IUCN Status: Least Concern (2018 assessment) (BirdLife International 2018)

CITES Appendix: Appendix II (UNEP 2019)

Population in Wild: approximately 260,000-330,000

Migration: Generally non-migratory. Those that do, migrate between summer breeding grounds and winter feeding grounds.

Activity Cycle: Feeding, preening, resting, courtship; feeding is highest right before mating season.

Social Groups: Huge colonies; must be in large groups to breed.

Diet: Filter invertebrates, algae, and plant material out of shallow water and mud.

Predators: Racoons, marguay, jaguar, humans, birds of prey.

Sexual Maturity: 3-6 years

Courtship: Group breeding displays lead to synchronous breeding; monogamous pairing for several seasons.

Clutch Size: 1 egg

Nest: Cone-shaped mound of mud with scooped-out top; shallow moat excavated around nest.

Hatchlings: Leave nest after 5-8 days; form creches (large numbers of chicks cared for by a small number or adults).

Fledglings: 9-13 weeks

Typical Life Expectancy:
Wild populations: unknown
Managed care: median life expectancy of about 26 years

Feature Facts

• Oldest cave painting of flamingo dated at 5000 BC, from Spain.
• Egyptian hieroglyphic symbol of flamingo denotes the color red.
• Historically confused with the legendary Phoenix. The tongue was considered a delicacy in Roman times.
• Prefers saline to fresh water, inhabiting mud flats, saline lagoons and shallow lakes.
• Vocalizations are their most important function, keeping the flock together
• Highly social, forming large colonies with tens of hundreds of thousands of individuals
• Habitat loss due to road construction and coastal development (houses, docks, industrial, etc.)
• Lead poisoning due to the ingestion of lead shot

San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance

• 1932: San Diego Zoo obtains first American Flamingos
• 1957: First chick hatches at the San Diego Zoo
• April 2003: newly renovated Flamingo Lagoon opens; flamingos start building nest within 3 days.