CHILEAN FLAMINGO

Closely related to the American Flamingo, the Chilean Flamingo is a subspecies of flamingos. The Chilean Flamingo is commonly found in South American countries such as Ecuador, Peru, Chile, and Argentina. They usually inhabit places along coastlines and at high altitudes in tropical areas with warm climates. Their uniquely pink feathers, a bill mainly black and slender grey legs with accentuating pink joints, allow the Chilean Flamingo to stand out from the other species of flamingos. Standing at 80 - 145 cm tall, this species of Flamingo usually weighs around 2 - 3.5 kg and have a life span of 40 to 50 years. Female Chilean Flamingos are generally smaller than males. The Chilean Flamingo’s carnivorous diet consists of aquatic invertebrates, small fish, and algae. Interestingly when they are eating or drinking water, the Chilean Flamingo turn their bills upside-down.

Similarly to the other species of flamingos, the Chilean Flamingo often stands on one leg, with their head buried under their wing, which allows them to conserve body heat. When mating, the male and female Chilean Flamingo usually stay together for the entire season. The mating season for Chilean Flamingos is from April to May. Both the male and female flamingos work together to build a cone-like nest out of stones and mud. The female Chilean Flamingo then lays a large white egg, and both parents take turns incubating the egg for approximately 26 to 31 days. Young flamingos are called chicks and usually remain in the nest for the first few days after hatching. Chicks have grey feathers and typically do not grow pink feathers until 2 to 3 years after hatching.

Sources:

•https://animalia.bio/chilean-flamingo

•https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/chilean_flamingo

•https://seaworld.org/animals/facts/birds/ chilean-flamingo/

Image:

•Chilean Flamingo Enclosure, Hope Zoo Preservation Foundation

• https://www.thealexandriazoo.com/ Chileanflamingo.html