Chilean Flamingo

Description:

This species is considered near threatened, and is precuationarily suspected to be declining moderately rapidly owing to egg-harvesting, hunting, disturbance and the degradation of its habitat. It is consequently classified as Near Threatened. Coordinated monitoring of key sites may better elucidate population trends, which may have implications for the Red List status in future. The population was estimated to number 200,000 individuals by del Hoyo (1992) and Valqui et al. (2000), however a coordinated census in 2010 found 283,000 individuals, and gave a total population estimate of 300,000 individuals (Marconi et al. 2011).

Habitat:

It occurs on coastal mudflats, estuaries, lagoons and salt-lakes at elevations up to 4,500 m. Breeding habitat is typified by the presence of suitable salinities and islands with extensive surrounding mudflats - conditions that do not occur each year. At Mar Chiquita, birds bred in only nine of the 26 years to 1999.

Notes:

Chilean Flamingo at the Los Angeles Zoo.