The American flamingo is a large species of flamingo native to the West Indies, northern South America and the Yucatán Peninsula. It is closely related to the greater flamingo and Chilean flamingo, and was formerly considered conspecific with the greater flamingo, but that treatment is now widely viewed as incorrect due to a lack of evidence. It is also known as the Caribbean flamingo, although it is also present in the Galápagos Islands. It is the only flamingo that naturally inhabits North America along with the Neotropical realm.
Region
Caribbean Basin and northern South America
Typical Environment
This species inhabits coastal and inland saline wetlands across the West Indies, the Yucatán Peninsula, northern South America, and the Galápagos. It favors shallow hypersaline lagoons, tidal flats, salt pans, and mangrove-fringed bays. Major populations occur in the Bahamas, Cuba, Hispaniola, Turks and Caicos, Bonaire and adjacent Venezuelan coasts, the Colombian Guajira, and coastal Yucatán. It also occurs locally in the Galápagos and has recolonized parts of southern Florida.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 500 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
American flamingos are specialized filter feeders that sweep their downcurved bills upside down through saline water to strain algae, tiny crustaceans, and other microorganisms. Their vivid pink to coral coloration comes from carotenoid pigments in their diet. They breed in dense colonies and build cone-shaped mud mounds to keep a single egg above flooding.
American flamingo in Colombia
A wild American flamingo in Florida Bay, Everglades National Park. Some Florida Bay birds are thought to be year-round residents
Vagrant American flamingoes at Cedar Key, Florida
Close-up of head at São Paulo Zoo, Brazil
A chick and its mother
Phoenicopterus ruber - MHNT
A group of immature birds at Lago de Oviedo, Dominican Republic
Skull MHNT
P. ruber stands on one leg in order to retain body heat
Individual at SeaWorld San Diego cleaning its feathers
The flock flight at Cayo Coco, Cuba
Temperament
social and gregarious
Flight Pattern
strong flier with steady, powerful wingbeats; neck and legs fully extended
Social Behavior
Highly colonial, often gathering in thousands on suitable wetlands. Pairs are largely monogamous within a season, building tall mud-cone nests and laying a single egg. Courtship involves synchronized displays such as head-flagging and wing-salutes.
Migratory Pattern
Partial migrant
Song Description
Vocalizations are nasal, honking, and goose-like, used to keep contact in flocks. Colonies can be very noisy, with call exchanges that help maintain group cohesion and synchronize movements.
