Scientific Classification

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Aves

Order: Phoenicopteriformes

Family: Phoenicopteridae

Genus: Phoenicopterus

Species: P. roseus

Conservation Status

Greater flamingos have an attractive pink coloration, with black flight feathers that appear on the underside when they fly. They have long slender pink bills with a black tip, yellow eyes, and pink legs. 

The males will be slightly larger than the females, and usually weigh around 4-6 pounds, can be up to 6 feet tall, and have a wingspan of 60 inches.

The greater flamingo can be found primarily in Africa, the Middle East, southern Europe, and India. 

They require shallow bodies of water, usually estuaries or lagoons with muddy beaches. Most of the water areas are either very high in salt content or extremely alkaline with a pH of 11.

The long bill of the greater flamingo allows it to filter feed, so it will use its long neck to bend down and gather mud in its beak, and eat the organisms found in the mud. 

Most of the organisms they feed on include crustaceans and mollusks found in shallow water. The algae they consume gives the flamingos their pink coloration.

Greater flamingos breed once a year, at various times and are extremely social birds, as shown in their reproduction style. The males put on courtship shows for the females, and are polygynandrous, meaning they can switch mates from year to year. 

After the female lays the egg, the male and female will take turns incubating it. The egg will hatch after about 30 days of incubation and will be cared for by the parents for anywhere from 65 to 90 days. The young bird has grey feathers and they slowly become pink as they eat the algae which helps their pigmentation.

The greater flamingo is the largest species of flamingo, and also the most widespread on the Earth.

The greater flamingo  is a very social animal, usually living in flocks consisting of hundreds to even thousands of other flamingos.

The greater flamingo travels from place to place as a nomad, as wetland habitats can change and they need to find food sources.