Chilean Flamingo

• Range: South America, from Peru to southern Argentina and Chile, including parts of Bolivia, Paraguay and southern Brazil
  
• Habitat: Shallow salt marshes and brackish coastal lagoons in semi-tropical and tropical areas.
  
• Description: This species measures 42 to 44 inches from the bill to the tip of the tail. Males and females look alike, however the males are a bit taller and larger than the females. This species of flamingo has light pink plumage with a roseate color and some black on the secondaries and primaries. The legs are gray to light blue with dark red joints and toes. Immature birds have grayish plumage with yellow legs and bluish joints.
  
• Diet: The Chilean Flamingos are filtration feeders who hunt by holding their bill partially emerged and sweeping it from side to side sucking in water. The water is then forced out through lamellae on which microscopic organisms are caught and eaten. They also eat insect larvae.
  
• Behavior: Very gregarious, living in flocks usually numbering in the thousands.
  Flamingos require shallow water and lots of mud; nests are built by surrounding the egg with a large pile of mud, which is then incubated for approximately thirty days.
  
• Breeding: The birds build nest mounds of mud and vegetation that stand 1 or 2 feet off the ground with a depression at the top to hold the eggs. Generally one to three chalky white eggs are laid. Both parents care for the young and incubate the eggs for 28 to 31 days. The nests tend to be built fairly close together. They remain in or close to the nest for several weeks. Young birds will not reach maturity until 3 years old. Their feathers will gradually become pink over this period of time.