Phoenicopterus ruber
American Flamingo (Phoenicopterus ruber)
Featured photoamerican-flamingo.jpgPhoenicopterus ruber, the American flamingo, is a large flamingo of the family Phoenicopteridae, distributed across the Caribbean basin, the Galápagos Islands, and the northern coast of South America. Adults are 1.2 to 1.45 m tall with a wingspan of 1.4 to 1.65 m and weigh 2.2 to 2.8 kg. The plumage is brilliant pink with black flight feathers visible in flight, and the bill is bent downward with a black tip. The IUCN lists the species as Least Concern. The American flamingo is the only flamingo species native to the Americas.
Quick facts
- Habitat
- Coastal salt flats, hypersaline lagoons, mangrove edges, and mudflats — environments rich in the small crustaceans and brine shrimp that flamingos filter from the water. The species avoids freshwater except during long-distance dispersal flights.
- Range
- Caribbean basin (the Bahamas, Cuba, Hispaniola, the Yucatan Peninsula, the Lesser Antilles), the Galápagos Islands (a small endemic population), and the northern coast of South America (Venezuela, Colombia, parts of Brazil). Vagrants reach southern Florida and the US Gulf coast occasionally.
- Size
- 120–145 cm body · 140–165 cm wingspan · 2.2–2.8 kg
- Plumage
- Adults are brilliant pink throughout the body, wings, and head, with sharply contrasting jet-black flight feathers visible from below in flight. The bill is bent downward in the characteristic flamingo shape, with a pale base and a black tip. The legs are long and pink, and the eyes are pale yellow. The pink intensity is carotenoid-driven from the diet of brine shrimp and other carotenoid-rich crustaceans. Juveniles are dull grey-white and acquire adult pink colouration over two to three years.
- Song
- A loud, deep, honking 'aow-aow-aow' delivered both in flight and from breeding colonies. The species is highly vocal in the dense breeding aggregations.
- Migration
- Largely sedentary on the breeding range. Some long-distance dispersal flights between Caribbean breeding sites occur, particularly in response to colony disturbance.
- Conservation
- Least Concern (LC)
Overview
Phoenicopterus ruber is one of six flamingo species worldwide and the only one native to the Americas. The species was historically lumped with the greater flamingo (P. roseus) of the Old World as a single circumpolar species; molecular evidence and breeding-plumage colour differences led to the split in the early 2000s. The American flamingo is brighter pink than the greater flamingo and is now treated as a distinct species.
Distribution
The breeding range covers the Caribbean basin and the northern coast of South America, plus a small endemic population in the Galápagos. Vagrants reach southern Florida and the US Gulf coast — historical Florida nesting populations were extirpated by hunting in the late nineteenth century, and modern Florida sightings represent occasional dispersers from Caribbean breeding sites rather than re-established populations.
Filter feeding
American flamingos feed by holding the head upside-down in shallow saline water, with the bill submerged and the curved upper edge facing the bottom. Comb-like lamellae along the inside edges of the bill filter brine shrimp, algae, and other small prey from the water as the bird sweeps the bill side-to-side. The technique is one of the most highly specialized filter-feeding methods in the animal kingdom and is shared across all six flamingo species. The carotenoid pigments in the filtered prey produce the species' characteristic pink colour.
Sources & further reading (2)
- iucn-red-list — accessed 2026-04-30
- encyclopedia — accessed 2026-04-30
Frequently asked questions
Why are flamingos pink?
Flamingos eat carotenoid-rich brine shrimp, blue-green algae, and other small crustaceans, and the carotenoid pigments are deposited unchanged into the feathers during moult. The intensity is diet-dependent: birds in carotenoid-rich habitats are vivid pink, birds in poor-quality habitats are duller. Captive flamingos fed on plain grain become white or pale pink within a year. The pink colour is therefore a dietary signal of habitat quality.
Why do flamingos eat upside-down?
The flamingo's bill is curved downward and is held upside-down during feeding so the curved edge sweeps along the bottom of the water column. Comb-like lamellae along the bill filter brine shrimp, algae, and other small prey from the water. The inverted feeding posture and specialized bill structure are unique to flamingos among birds — it is the most morphologically specialized filter-feeding apparatus in any flying bird.
Are American and greater flamingos the same species?
No, not since the early 2000s. The American flamingo (Phoenicopterus ruber) and the greater flamingo (P. roseus) of the Old World were historically lumped as a single circumpolar species. Molecular evidence and breeding-plumage colour differences led to the split. The American is brighter pink, the greater is paler. They are now treated as full sister species, with no current contact zone between them.
