Chilean Flamingo Iasairéan Sileach

IUCN status Near threatened

Habitat Chile, southern Brazil, Peru, Bolivia, Uruguay, Paraguay, Argentina – shallow salt water
lakes, rivers, streams

Diet Carnivore – tiny crustaceans, insects, snails and micro-organisms living in water and mud

Flamingos build cone-shaped nests of mud with a dip at the top to prevent the single egg from rolling off. Upside-down filter feeders, they use their tongue and beak to pump water and collect food, and stand on one leg to save energy and retain body heat. Parent flamingos can recognise their chicks by their call in a crowd of around 30,000 other youngsters.

Did you know?
A flamingo’s leg does not bend backwards; what looks like its knee is actually its ankle and so bends the right way. The knees are hidden under the wings!