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Greater Flamingo (Phoenicopterus roseus) German name(s): "Rosaflamingo" Size: 1.1-1.5 m; wing span 1.4-1.7 m Body mass: 2-4 kg Wing loading [g/cm2]: 1.04 (male)

Europe: Family Group 5 Family Group 5 Table Great Egret Little Egret Western Cattle Egret Grey Heron Purple Heron Striated Heron Black-crowned Night Heron Squacco Heron Green Heron Eurasian Bittern Little Bittern Eurasian Spoonbill Glossy Ibis White Stork Black Stork Greater Flamingo Thumbnails page Family group table Index of bird names German birds home page

Similar species

Description     Classification     Distribution     Sightings     Photos     Breeding     Nest     Eggs     Behaviour     Food     Call/s

Physical description Click here for a physical description Greater Flamingos are large aquatic birds and the largest species of all flamingos. Large parts of the plumage are pinkish-white, except the wing coverts, which are red and the flight feathers, which are black. In-flight the crimson-red underwings with black flight feathers are conspicuous. The downward-kinked bill has a pink base and a black tip. The legs are light-pink, with darker pink joints and fully webbed feet. Juvenile and immature Greater Flamingos have a greyish plumage for several years before moulting into adult plumage. Twitcher's tip As opposed to Lesser Flamingos, Greater Flamingos have a bill with a pink base.

Taxonomy, classification See Greater Flamingo at Wikipedia .

Range, habitat, finding this species Click here for information on habitat and range The overall distribution of this species can be assessed, and specific locations where birds have been spotted can be found, based on individual sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to ebird.org . The global distribution of the Greater Flamingo is available HERE . Greater Flamingos are the most widespread species of flamingo. They can be found in scattered locations along the coastlines of parts of Africa, the Middle East, Turkey, Arabia, Pakistan, India and the northern Mediterranean Sea. In Europe Greater Flamingos are found as residents and/or winter visitors along the northern Mediterranean coastline and, further eastward, on the coastline of the Black Sea and the southern Caspian Sea. Greater Flamingos are usually found in estuaries, intertidal wetlands and lagoons with shallow salt water.

Sightings Click here for sighting information D. Wilczynska reports spotting Greater Flamingos in a lagoon near Santa Giusta, near Oristano, western Sardinia, Italy, in June 2016. D. Wilczynska also found Greater Flamingos on the Canary Islands in March 2017. S. Cuturilov reports spotting Greater Flamingos in the Kitros salt pit (Aliki Kitrous), Greece, in September 2017. J. Pires reports finding Greater Flamingos occasionally, throughout the year, in the Tejo estuary, Portugal. They are also found in other locations around Portugal where there is shallow, often brackish or saline, water. These days (2020ies) Greater Flamingos stay to breed in prime locations in Portugal. In May 2023, H. Dahlem-Senger found Greater Flamingos at Salines des Trenc, Mallorca, Spain.

Photos

ADULT

Sex unknown

Lateral view of an adult Greater Flamingo (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Near Santa Giusta, Oristano, Sardinia, Italy, June 2016]

Lateral view of a Greater Flamingo (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Salinas do Brito, Tejo estuary, Portugal, November 2021]

Lateral view of 2 Greater Flamingos (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Salinas da Fuzeta, Olhao, ALgarve, Portugal, November 2021]

Lateral view of 3 Greater Flamingos in shallow water (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Near Santa Giusta, Oristano, Sardinia, Italy, June 2016]

Greater Flamingos filter-feeding in a lagoon (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Near Santa Giusta, Oristano, Sardinia, Italy, June 2016]

Group of Greater Flamingos resting in shallow water (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Tejo estuary, Portugal, October 2018]

Overview of a lagoon with Greater Flamingos and other aquatic species (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Near Santa Giusta, Oristano, Sardinia, Italy, June 2016]

Overview of salt works with a fair number of Greater Flamingos (photo courtesy of S. Cuturilov)
[Kitros salt pit (Aliki Kitrous), Greece, September 2017]

Lateral view of a Greater Flamingo in flight (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Ribeira das Enguias, Tejo estuary, Portugal, February 2023]

Near-dorsal view of Greater Flamingos in flight - this comparison shows what influence light conditions can have on the appearance of a bird (photos courtesy of J. Pires)
[Tejo estuary, Portugal, April/June 2019]

Near-dorsal/ventral view of Greater Flamingos in flight - the bird at the left is an adult, the others are sub-adult
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Tejo estuary, Portugal, July 2019]

IMMATURE/JUVENILE

Adult Greater Flamingo, back, with a bird close to reaching maturity (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Ribeira das Enguias, Alcochete, Setubal, Portugal, March 2020]

Three phases of the plumage of Greater Flamingos in one photo: first-year immature, second from the right, adult, second from the left, and 1+ year old immature, far left; Pied Avocet in the foreground (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Near Santa Giusta, Oristano, Sardinia, Italy, June 2016]

Near-dorsal view of second-year immature Greater Flamingos (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Tejo estuary, Portugal, September 2018]

Lateral view of a second-year immature Greater Flamingo at full stretch (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Charca do Prates, Arraiolos, Evora, Portugal, October 2020]

Second-year immature Greater Flamingo banking to land (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Tejo estuary, Portugal, September 2018]

Frontal view of a first-year immature Greater Flamingo; Pied Avocet in the foreground (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Near Santa Giusta, Oristano, Sardinia, Italy, June 2016]

Lateral view of a first-year immature Greater Flamingo (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Tejo estuary, Portugal, January 2018]

Dorsal view of a first-year immature Greater Flamingo (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Salinas do Forte do Rato, Tavira, Algarve, Portugal, September 2020]

First-year immature Greater Flamingo, front left, filter-feeding in a lagoon, with an adult on the right and a 1+ year old in the background (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Near Santa Giusta, Oristano, Sardinia, Italy, June 2016]

Greater Flamingo rookery (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Charca do Prates, Arraiolos, Evora, Portugal, October 2020]

First-year immature Greater Flamingos overwintering in an estuary (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Tejo estuary, Portugal, February 2018]

Size comparison of adult Greater Flamingos, first-year immatures and Spoonbills (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Tejo estuary, Portugal, October 2015]

Breeding information

Breeding season: ?

Eggs: 1

Incubation period: 27 - 31 days

Fledging age: 63 - 91 days

In 2021, Greater Flamingos were first officially observed to be breeding in Portugal. The photos below show that in 2020 they have at least already been mating in the Tejo estuary.

For Greater Flamingos mating is a high altitude balancing act (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Vila Franca de Xira, Tejo estuary, Portugal, March 2020]

Behaviour

Social behaviour: Communal

Mobility: Partially migratory

Elementary unit: Flock

In Europe, Greater Flamingos are found only along the Mediterranean coastal fringe. In favourable locations parts of the populations are sedentary, while others disperse along the coastline to overwinter elsewhere before returning to their breeding areas.

Greater Flamingos tend to form very large flocks (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Vila Franca de Xira, Tejo estuary, Portugal, January 2020]

Greater Flamingos feeding in shallow water (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Algarve, Portugal, November 2021]

Greater Flamingos can often be seen feeding in formation (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Tejo estuary, Portugal, February 2018]

Adult Greater Flamingos resting together (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Sado estuary, Zambujal, Palmela, Portugal, August 2020]

Greater Flamingos tend to roost in groups; it is somewhat awkward to stow away such a long neck...
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Alcochete, Tejo estuary, Portugal, April 2019]

Greater Flamingos do many things collectively, including preening
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Montargil Dam, near Mora, Evora, Portugal, September 2020]

Greater Flamingos do many things collectively, here wading
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Salinas da Fuzeta, Olhao, Faro, Portugal, October 2020]

Food, Diet

Greater Flamingos use their bills turned upside down to filter shrimp, seeds, blue-green algae, microscopic organisms and mollusks out of shallow brackish water that they disturb with their feet.

Lateral view of two adult Greater Flamingos filter-feeding in a lagoon; the lower mandible is fixed, while the upper mandible is moved up and down (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Near Santa Giusta, Oristano, Sardinia, Italy, June 2016]

Greater Flamingos filter-feeding with their heads completely under water (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Tejo estuary, Portugal, February 2018]

Greater Flamingos filter-feeding with their heads completely under water (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Salinas do Brito, Alcochete, Setubal, Portugal, October 2020]

Call(s)/Song

For this species we have recorded the following call(s)/song. The interpretation of their meaning is our own; comments and suggestions for improvement are welcome.

grtflam_dw_20170315.m4a	(Canary Islands)	Contact calls(?)	© DW
grtflam_jp_20200720.m4a	(Portugal)	Various	© JP

More Greater Flamingo sound recordings are available at xeno-canto.org .

These pages are largely based on our own observations and those of our contributors. The structure of these bird pages is explained HERE. For more salient facts on any bird species please refer to a field guide.

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