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CHILEAN FLAMINGO
Scientific name – Phoenicopterus chilensis
Background
These elegant pink birds have long been a source of great fascination
for humans, as well as an edible resource. Historically, people have
used flamingo eggs as a staple food and a delicacy, and today, in
some places, eggs are removed from nests and sold at markets. In
early Roman times, flamingo tongues were carefully prepared, pickled,
and served as a delicacy and Andean miners have killed the birds for
their fat, believing it to be a cure for tuberculosis.
They are threatened throughout much of their distribution by a
combination of habitat loss, pollution, disturbance and egg collection.
Apart from their colour and bizarre appearance, flamingos are known
for their characteristic one-legged stance, which is actually the most
comfortable way to stand for long periods, as each leg is rested in turn (this also helps with regulating
body temperature, warming one leg in cold weather or cooling it in hot weather helps keep the bird’s
blood at the right temperature); of course a good sense of balance is essential!
Species classification
The world’s flamingos are grouped together in
the group or ‘order’ of birds called the
Phoenicopteriformes,
although
they
are
occasionally included in the Ciconiiformes,
which also contains storks, herons and ibis. The
6 species of flamingo (greater, lesser, American,
Andean, James’ and Chilean) comprise the
Phoenicopteridae. Within this ‘family’ there are 3
smaller groups or ‘genera’, the largest of which
is Phoenicopterus, containing 3 species:
Phoenicopterus chilensis, P. ruber the American
and P. roseus, the greater flamingo - the most
widely distributed of the 6 species. The various
species of flamingo are found in southern
Europe, Africa, India, Madagascar, South and
Central America and the Caribbean. Fossil
evidence indicates that the group from which
flamingos evolved is very old and existed about
30 million years ago, before many other avian
orders had evolved. The discovery and study of
a fossil in 1976 suggested that flamingos arose
from ancient shorebirds. Fossilized flamingo
footprints, estimated to be seven million years
old, have been found in the Andes Mountains.
Description
Like all flamingos, the Chilean species is a large
pink bird with long legs, a long neck and a
characteristically shaped beak. Adults of both
sexes measure around 105cm (40½in) from the
tip of the beak to the tip of their tail, and weigh
2.2-2.9kg (5-6lb). Their long legs are grey and
they have pink feet and ankle joints, which are
sometimes mistaken for knee joints, as they are
so high up the legs (as they are in all birds).
Three of the 4 toes on each foot point forwards
and are webbed, whilst the smaller fourth toe
points backwards and is free from webbing.
Chilean flamingos have small, pale yellow eyes
and a thick beak that curves downwards from
the middle to the tip. The lower half of the beak
is black and the upper half and face is white.
The nostrils are located at the top of the beak.
The primary wing feathers are black, and can
only be seen when the wings are open and the
wing tips and tail feathers are bright pink. The
rest of the plumage is varying shades of pink,
with some white. The birds can often be seen
with their long neck folded in an S-shape against
their body. A flamingo has 19 elongated neck
vertebrae, which allow for maximum movement
and twisting. Their large webbed feet give
flamingos better balance whilst on one leg and
stability on soft mud, as well as help them to
swim efficiently and stir up food from the bottom.
Distribution and habitat
As their name implies, this species is native to
Chile, although it is also found in southern Peru,
Bolivia, Uruguay, Paraguay, Argentina and
southern Brazil, and stragglers have been
reported on the Falkland Islands. The flamingos
inhabit salt or alkaline lakes and brackish
lagoons, that usually lack vegetation, along the
Andes, up to a height of 4,500m (15,000ft).
Some move to coastal areas in winter, where
they may utilise estuarine lagoons, mangrove
swamps, tidal flats, and sandy islands in the
inter-tidal zone. The Chilean flamingo is scarce
or absent in lakes with fish and is present,
usually in large numbers, where there are no
fish with which to compete for food. When
flamingos migrate, they do so mainly at night
and prefer to fly in a cloudless sky with
favourable
tailwinds.
They
can
travel
approximately 600km (373 miles) in one night at
about 50 to 60kph (31-37mph). When travelling
Chilean flamingo species factsheet. © Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, July 2006, photograph credit: James Morgan
during the day, the flamingos fly at high
altitudes, possibly to avoid predation by eagles.
Feeding habits
In the wild, Chilean flamingos feed on tiny
molluscs, crustaceans (such as brine shrimp),
insects, algae and single celled aquatic plants
and animals. The birds feed with their heads
down and the lower half of the beak in the water.
The tongue is pulled into the back of the open
mouth; this movement draws water in like a
piston. The mouth is then closed and the tongue
pushed forwards to force the water out through a
special filtration system in the beak. Both the
upper and lower mandibles contain two rows of
bristled, comb or hair-like structures called
lamellae. When they come together, the
lamellae of the upper and lower mandibles
mesh. The number of lamellae in a flamingo's
bill varies according to species; the Chilean
flamingo has about 5 to 6 lamellae per
centimetre (13-15 per inch.). The lamellae act
like the baleen of filter-feeding whales and filters
out particles that then adhere to the tongue and
are swallowed as the tongue moves to the back
of the mouth again. A flamingo's large, fleshy
tongue is covered with bristle-like projections
that help filter water and food particles through
the lamellae. Flamingos cannot drink salt water
and must not swallow too much of it with their
food, although they are adapted to excrete
excess salt through special glands in the
nostrils. They drink fresh water from springs or
puddles, and can even drink rainwater absorbing
it through their waterproof feathers.
Breeding
Chilean flamingos are migratory and can be
found in flocks of between 3,000 and 10,000
birds. They are strong fliers and stretch out their
neck and legs during flight. Both on the ground
and in the air members of a flock communicate
with one another using goose-like calls.
Breeding is synchronised within a flock, so that
the chicks benefit from ‘safety in numbers’,
whereby the risk of any one chick being caught
by a predator is greatly reduced. Flamingos may
breed twice in one year, but in others may not
breed at all as reproductive behaviour is linked
to food supplies, which are dependent on
rainfall. Although they form monogamous pairs
during the breeding season, flamingos usually
find a new mate each year. Pairs perform a ritual
courtship display involving mutual preening, and
the males also engage in head-turning and
wing-spreading. Flamingo colonies also perform
spectacular synchronized displays of several
hundred to several thousand birds. Each female
chooses a nest site, either in or close to water,
and both sexes take part in nest-building, using
mud reinforced with twigs and feathers. They
take it in turns to sit while nesting material is
drawn up around their bodies to form a conical
mound about 30cm (12in) high, with a hollow in
the top for the egg. Only one elongated chalky,
white egg is laid, which the parents take it in
turns to incubate. During incubation, the sitting
bird continues to add to the nest with material
that lies within reach. Parent birds carefully lift
and turn the egg with their bill, however eggs
that fall from the mound are not retrieved.
After about 4 weeks, a pale grey downyfeathered chick with short, thick black legs and a
straight pink beak hatches. Each chick remains
on the nest for 4-7 days before leaving under the
protection of its parents, or joining a ‘crèche’
with other youngsters. Chicks are unable to filter
their food until they are about 3 months old,
because their lamellae are not fully developed,
but do imitate their parents’ feeding methods
while standing in shallow water. The young
initially rely on crop milk – a bright red, nutritious
liquid produced in the crop (or gizzard) of both
parents, and after about a month start to take
non-filtered food for themselves. The striking
colour of the crop milk is due to the pigment
canthaxanthin, which also gives adult flamingos
their pink plumage, and some blood from the
parent’s crop. Adults lose their pink coloration
while raising young if they are still feeding chicks
through the adult’s moulting period. Parents can
recognise their own offspring by its call, and will
not feed others in the flock. At 6 months old the
young birds are fully grown, but still have pale
grey feathers. They moult into white and pale
pink plumage at about 18 months, attaining full
adult colouration at around 3 years, and are
ready to breed at about 6 years old. Most birds
will return to their native colony to breed, but
some may join a neighbouring colony.
Flamingos can live for between 30 and 50 years,
and adult birds have few natural predators.
Conservation status
The World Conservation Union (IUCN) currently
classifies the Chilean flamingo as Near
Threatened on their Red Data List. This means
that the species is not facing any immediate
threat of extinction in the wild, providing enough
of its habitat remains intact, but is quite close to
being classified as Vulnerable, which is the next
category up. This species has the advantage of
a large range, however, in general numbers are
thought to be declining, and populations in some
countries are under more pressure from habitat
destruction and degradation by humans than
others. Since 1975 the Chilean flamingo has
also been listed under Appendix II of CITES (the
Convention
on
International
Trade
in
Chilean flamingo species factsheet. © Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, July 2006, photograph credit: James Morgan
Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora).
This affords the species legal protection against
unregulated international trade. In 1924, James'
flamingo was believed to be extinct, but was
rediscovered in 1957 cohabiting with the Chilean
flamingo. The Andean flamingo is the most
endangered of the 5 species and, along with
James’ flamingo, is classified as Vulnerable.
There are thought to be no more than 200,000
Chilean flamingos left in the wild and the species
is officially protected in its native countries.
However, its habitat is being reduced and
degraded by the drainage of land for agricultural
use, the loss of water to crop irrigation and
pollution caused by agrochemical run-off. In
addition, the introduction of fish to some lakes
may also seriously affect the distribution of the
Chilean flamingo, as well as the greater
flamingo, since they feed primarily on
invertebrates. Other flamingo species are not
affected because of different food sources.
Disturbance from human activity around
breeding sites can lead to parents abandoning
their nests.
The future
Chilean flamingos have been kept at Durrell’s
headquarters in Jersey since 1966, and have
breed successfully here. There is currently a
flock of around 50 birds that live in the upper
part of the grounds central valley. The
redevelopment and regeneration of the valley
area created a much-improved habitat and purer
water supply for the flamingos. This ambitious
project includes a system that recycles water
and reed beds that filter and cleanse water
naturally, and the flamingos are the star
attraction in this area where native Jersey
wildlife and exotic species live side-by-side. As
always,
the
development
of
effective
conservation methods is needed, in order to
improve and enforce habitat protection and to
promote awareness of the importance of these
beautiful native birds among local people. Such
measures will help to maintain the populations of
this species and should see the Chilean
flamingo flourish.
July 2006
Chilean flamingo species factsheet. © Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, July 2006, photograph credit: James Morgan