Bird Guide

Chilean Flamingo vs Greater Flamingo

Chilean Flamingo (Phoenicopterus chilensis)

Chilean Flamingo

Phoenicopterus chilensis

Huge2.3 kgWetland

The Chilean flamingo's plumage is pinker than the slightly larger greater flamingo, but less so than the American flamingo. It can be differentiated from these species by its grayish legs with pink joints, by the larger amount of black on the bill (more than half), and also by being a foot shorter than the American flamingo. Young chicks may have no sign of pink coloring whatsoever, but instead remain gray or peach. Young chicks will slowly gain their pink color as pigments called carotenoids from their diet accumulate in their feathers.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: robin bos from heerenveen, the netherlands · CC BY 2.0
Greater Flamingo (Phoenicopterus roseus)

Greater Flamingo

Phoenicopterus roseus

Huge3.0 kgWetland

The greater flamingo is the largest living species of flamingo, averaging 110–150 cm (43–59 in) tall and weighing 2–4 kg (4.4–8.8 lb). Most of the plumage is pinkish-white, but the wing coverts are red and the primary and secondary flight feathers are black. The bill is pink with a restricted black tip, and the legs are entirely pink. The call is a goose-like honking. Chicks are covered in grey fluffy down. Subadult flamingos are paler with dark legs. Adults feeding chicks also become paler, but retain the bright pink legs.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Sonogram of the Greater Flamingo
Recorded by Grégoire Chauvot · Flight call · Arrondissement d'Arles (near Arles), Bouches-du-Rhone, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France · CC0
Photo: Arpingstone · Public domain

Where you might meet both

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Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Chilean Flamingo and Greater Flamingo.