Andean flamingo facts for kids
The Andean flamingo (Phoenicoparrus andinus) is a type of flamingo that lives in the Andes mountains of South America. It is closely related to James's flamingo. These two flamingos belong to the same group called Phoenicoparrus. The Chilean flamingo, Andean flamingo, and James's flamingo all live in the same areas. They often live together in large groups called colonies, sometimes even sharing places to build their nests.
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Contents
What Does the Andean Flamingo Look Like?
The Andean flamingo is special because of its deep lower beak and the long, tiny filters inside its upper beak. It is the biggest flamingo in the Andes mountains. It is also one of the two heaviest living flamingos, similar to the taller greater flamingo. Andean flamingos can weigh from about 1.5 to 4.9 kilograms (3.3 to 10.8 pounds). They stand about 1 to 1.4 meters (3.3 to 4.6 feet) tall. Their wings can spread out from 1.4 to 1.6 meters (4.6 to 5.2 feet) wide.
This flamingo has a pale pink body. Its upper parts are brighter. Its lower neck, chest, and wing feathers are a deep pink color. It is the only flamingo with yellow legs and feet that have three toes. Its beak is pale yellow near its head, but most of it is black. The beak also curves downwards.
Different Feather Colors
Young Andean flamingos have light gray feathers all over. Their head and neck are often a bit darker. Their wing and shoulder feathers might have darker brown centers. Adult flamingos are mostly pale pink. The feathers on their lower neck and chest are much brighter pink. Their head and upper neck can be brighter pink than the rest of their body. The rest of their body might look almost white with just a light pink tint. The main flight feathers on their wings are black. When their wings are folded, these black feathers look like a clear black triangle.
Flamingo Fossils
Scientists have found fossils of Andean flamingos. These fossils were found near the Salar de Atacama. They are about 3,000 to 2,200 years old. These fossils show that the flamingos lived in this area when the climate was similar to how it is today.
How Do Andean Flamingos Behave?
What Do They Eat?
Andean flamingos are filter feeders. This means they filter their food from the water. They eat many different things. Their diet includes small fish, tiny water creatures, vascular plants (plants with tubes for water), and very small algae.
These flamingos feed from the bottom of lakes. They look for small particles, especially tiny plant-like organisms called diatoms. Their beak is shaped in a special way. The upper part of their beak is narrower than the lower part. This creates a gap on the top of their beak. This beak shape helps them catch diatoms. When they feed, water flows out of their mouth, leaving the diatoms inside their beak. They search for food in shallow, salty waters. Andean flamingos are very flexible in how they find food.
When Andean flamingos are with Chilean flamingos or James's flamingos, they change their feeding style. If they are with Chilean flamingos, they tend to feed in moderately deep water. If they are with James's flamingos, they feed closer to the edges and in shallow water. Scientists are still studying their overall feeding habits.
Flamingo Sounds
We don't know much about the sounds Andean flamingos make. The sounds recorded so far fall into three main types. We don't know exactly what each sound means.
- Peep: This is a surprisingly high-pitched, short, clear sound. It sounds a bit like a small bird. They often make a quick series of these sounds that go down in pitch. Sometimes they make just one.
- Quack: This is a short, rough, nasal sound like a quack or honk. They can make it alone or in a series. It is lower-pitched and shorter than the similar sound made by Chilean flamingos. It is slightly higher-pitched than the sound made by James's flamingos. You often hear this sound when they are flying.
- Chuckle: This is a quiet, talking-like sound. It is made of short, low-pitched quack-like notes. It is lower-pitched and less nasal than the "Quack" sound. They usually make these sounds in a faster series.
Where Do Andean Flamingos Live and Travel?
The Andean flamingo lives in the wet areas of the high Andes mountains. This area stretches from southern Peru to northwestern Argentina and northern Chile. Andean flamingos are migratory birds. This means they travel long distances. They can fly up to 700 miles in one day. In the summer, they live in salt lakes. In the winter, they move to lower wetlands. They might migrate because the salt flats become very dry in winter. We don't know their exact migration path. However, it is thought they travel between their breeding grounds in Chile and the wetlands of central and western Argentina.
They mostly breed in northern Chile, southwestern Bolivia, and northwestern Argentina. During the non-breeding season, some flamingos stay in the same wetlands. Others move to lower lakes and wetlands. This includes moving east to the central plains of Argentina. They also travel north through the Andes to southern Peru.
Sometimes, they wander even further. They have been seen as far north as Conococha in central Peru. They have also been seen on the coasts of Peru and northern Chile. They have even been spotted in the Amazon region of Brazil, southern Argentina, and coastal southern Brazil.
Status and Protection of the Andean Flamingo
The Andean flamingo is considered a vulnerable species. This means it is at risk of becoming endangered. This is mainly because of mining activities and human disturbances that change its home.
Mining Dangers
The places where Andean flamingos live are always changing because of human activities. The biggest danger to the flamingo population is mining. Mining companies dig up the land, especially at the end of the summer rainy season.
The flamingo's habitat has many boron compounds, like borax. Borax can be harmful to animals like the Andean flamingo if they get too much of it. Studies show that too much boron can cause problems with bones, heart issues, and damage to reproductive organs in animals. Mining creates muddy areas. Flamingos can get stuck in this mud, which can lead to them dying. People living near mining sites have reported seeing dead flamingos dug up by bulldozers.
The mining process also affects the water. Andean flamingos filter surface water to find food. But borax mining can pollute this water. Also, mining speeds up the drying out of lakes. By reducing the water in the lake, mining companies can see better, which helps them mine more easily. A study found that the number of flamingos was closely linked to how much water was in the lake. With less food and a disturbed home, fewer flamingo chicks are likely to survive.
Human Disturbances
Mining is not the only problem. Locals also collect flamingo eggs. This illegal egg collecting has increased because more people around the world want flamingo eggs. Organized groups in Chile illegally catch flamingos and send them to other countries. Local families also take eggs from flamingo nests during the breeding season. Taking eggs can disturb the nesting process. It might cause the flamingo to leave its nest, even if some eggs are left.
Uncontrolled tourism also harms the flamingo's home. Over time, many peat bogs (wet, spongy areas) have grown. These bogs can overflow into the lake. When they enter the lake, they reduce the water surface area. This stops flamingos from getting into the lake to feed.
Because of mining and tourism, new roads are being built in the Andes. These roads run next to the flamingos' habitat. More roads mean it's easier to reach the flamingo's home. This leads to more mining and tourism, which further harms the Andean flamingo population. Building new roads has broken up the lake into smaller parts. This reduces the variety of living things and increases the chance of many species dying out.
The demand for water, energy, and transportation, along with uncontrolled tourism, has grown a lot in the last twenty years. These increases were biggest in Chile, where many Andean flamingos breed. As a result, these areas have harmful chemicals from mineral and oil exploration. Since the 1980s, the number of successful breeding groups and the total number of chicks for Andean flamingos has gone down. This is why Andean flamingos are now a threatened species.
Plans to Protect Them
The International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources says the Andean flamingo is an "insufficiently known species." Even though it has been in trouble for at least two decades, it was finally declared endangered in September 2010. This means it is now protected under the Endangered Species Act of 1973. Most areas where flamingos live, in both summer and winter, have become national parks. However, these parks do not cover all the places where changes are happening. So, the main breeding grounds are still at risk from outside disturbances that reduce the flamingo population.
Since the Andean flamingo was recently added to the endangered species list, not many protection plans have been put in place yet. However, the National Institution of Natural Resources (http://www.nri.org/) is working on a plan. This group is working with people who protect nature to solve the problems of borax mining and egg collecting. The plan includes teaching people about the environment. This will help inform business people, workers, villagers, and anyone else who might harm the flamingos. Local authorities in the Salinas Lake area have set up a post to stop illegal actions and find solutions. Creating national parks has helped reduce egg collecting. But, teaching people about the environment will be needed to stop this activity completely.
The Flamingo Specialist Group, started in 1971, is actively trying to tell the public about how vulnerable flamingos are. They publish a newsletter every year to share the current status of different flamingo species. In 2000, this group counted the flamingos. They found fewer than 34,000 Andean flamingos in total. This made them the rarest flamingo species. Recently, this group has teamed up with the International Union for Conservation of Nature to create a plan to protect flamingos. A meeting was held in Miami, Florida, in 2000 to create a group to manage a plan to protect the six types of flamingos.
Under the Bonn Convention, also known as the Convention on Migratory Species of Wild Animals, an agreement was made. This agreement is called the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the Conservation of High Andean Flamingos and their Habitats. It started on December 4, 2008. This agreement covers Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, and Peru. As of August 2012, Bolivia, Chile, and Peru have signed the agreement. The MoU aims to improve the protection of these flamingos and their homes. It does this through planned actions across all the areas where they live.
Gallery
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A group of Andean flamingos in the Salar de Pedernales in the Atacama Region of Chile.
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An adult Andean flamingo at Slimbridge WWT, England.
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Andean flamingos in the Reserva Nacional de Fauna Andina Eduardo Avaroa, Chile.
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See also
In Spanish: Parina grande para niños
