Why is the Chilean flamingo Near Threatened?

Habitat disturbance from mining and irrigation, along with historical egg collecting and hunting, has pressured its population, which is especially vulnerable because of its naturally low breeding rate.

How can you tell a Chilean flamingo from other flamingos?

It has notably grey legs with pink "knees" (ankle joints) and grey-tipped feet, unlike the all-pink legs of many other flamingo species.

Chilean Flamingoチリーフラミンゴ

Phoenicopterus chilensisNT— Near Threatened

The Chilean flamingo is a pale pink filter-feeding flamingo of the South American Andes and southern cone, distinguished by its grey legs with pink joints. Listed as Near Threatened, it faces pressure from mining and irrigation projects that disturb the shallow saline lakes where it breeds.

Chilean Flamingo (reference photo) — Photo: Cláudio Dias Timm from Rio Grande do Sul / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Source / cropped

Species Data

Classification: Phoenicopteriformes / Phoenicopteridae Source
Size: 110–130 cm
Weight: 2.5–3.5 kg
Lifespan: About 50 years in the wild, about 40 years in captivity
Diet: Filter feeder Filter feeds on algae, plankton, crustaceans, aquatic insects, and mollusks, eating about 10% of its body weight a day
Distribution: Ranges across South America from Peru and Bolivia through Chile and Argentina, wintering in Uruguay and southern Brazil. Source
Sources: ja.wikipedia.org en.wikipedia.org

Did You Know?

Even within colonies of thousands of birds, chicks can recognize their own parents by their individually distinctive calls. Source
Standing on one leg while feeding upside-down in the water is thought to help the bird minimize heat loss to the cold water. Source

Where to See This Species

Operating facilities registered on this site: Japan 17

Chilean Flamingoチリーフラミンゴ

Species Data

Did You Know?

Where to See This Species

Adventure WorldWakayamaOpened in 1978

Utsunomiya DoubutsuenTochigiAbout 5 minutes from the Utsunomiya IC on the Tohoku Expressway; free parking for 1,000 cars.

Kyoto City ZooKyotoOpened in 1903

Kiryuugaoka DoubutsuenGunmaIf driving, set your car navigation to "Kiryugaoka Amusement Park" (Kiryugaoka Yuenchi) rather than "Kiryugaoka Zoo" to reach the parking lot (searching by the zoo name may give an incorrect route).

Noichi Zoological Park of Kochi PrefectureKochiA 20-minute walk or 13-minute rental-bicycle ride from Noichi Station on the Tosa Kuroshio Railway Gomen-Nahari Line.

Saitamakenkodomodoubutsu Shizen KouenSaitamaOpened in 1980

Sapporoshimaruyama DoubutsuenHokkaidoOpened in 1951

Hirakawa ZooKagoshimaAbout a 20-minute walk from Goino Station on the JR Ibusuki-Makurazaki Line, or take a bus bound for Taniyama / Dobutsuen from Fukuhira Nokyo-mae to the last stop.

Suzaka ZooNaganoFrom the Suzaka-Nagano-Higashi IC on the Joshin-etsu Expressway, take Route 403, turn right at the Kotaka-machi intersection, turn left at the Kami-Hatcho intersection, cross Garyu Bridge, and turn left for the south entrance.

Chiba Zoological ParkChibaOpened in 1985

Tennoji ZooOsakaOpened in 1915

TOBU ZOOSaitamaFrom Tobu-Dobutsu-Koen Station (west exit), about 10 minutes on foot (600 m) or about 5 minutes by bus.

Hamamatsu Zoological GardensShizuokaOpened in 1950

Toyamashifamiri ParkToyamaOpened in 1984

Fukuoka Zoo & Botanical GardenFukuokaOpened in 1953

Higashiyama Zoo and Botanical GardensAichiOpened in 1937

Echizen Matsushima AquariumFukuiOpened in 1959

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