American flamingo

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

American flamingo
On
Galápagos

Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
CITES Appendix II (CITES)[2]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Phoenicopteriformes
Family: Phoenicopteridae
Genus: Phoenicopterus
Species:
P. ruber
Binomial name
Phoenicopterus ruber
Distribution of the American flamingo
Synonyms
  • Phoenicopterus ruber ruber

The American flamingo (Phoenicopterus ruber) is a large species of

American and British Ornithologists' Unions) as incorrect due to a lack of evidence. It is also known as the Caribbean flamingo, although it is also present in the Galápagos Islands. It is the only flamingo that naturally inhabits North America along with the Neotropical realm
.

It is a cultural icon for the U.S. state of

extirpated
by 1900 and is now only an uncommon visitor with a few small, potential resident populations.

Distribution

The American flamingo breeds in South America (in the Galápagos Islands of

southern Florida in the United States). It is a vagrant to Puerto Rico, Anguilla, Barbados, Honduras, and (following its extirpation) Florida, although some Florida populations are now thought to be year-round residents.[1][3] The population in the Galápagos Islands differs genetically from that in the Caribbean; the Galápagos flamingos are significantly smaller, exhibit sexual dimorphism in body shape, and lay smaller eggs.[4] They are sometimes separated as Phoenicopterus ruber glyphorhynchus.[5]

Its preferred habitats are similar to those of its relatives: saline

brackish coastal or inland lakes. An example habitat is the Petenes mangroves ecoregion of the Yucatán.[6]

American flamingo in Colombia
American flamingo in Colombia

In Florida

The American flamingo is considered an iconic symbol of the state of Florida in the United States, and is widely featured on merchandise from the state. Although the species was a former resident and a possible breeder in Florida until the early 20th century, the strong association of flamingos with Florida likely originates from the Flamingo Hotel, a popular 1920s hotel in Miami Beach, which was named after an exotic bird for marketing purposes. The hotel's strong association with South Florida led to the popularity of flamingo souvenirs from the state, which was further boosted by the captive flamingos kept in Hialeah Park.[7]

Howe (1902), who reported a flock of over 500 to 1,000 flamingos east of Cape Sable. Following this report, flamingo observations in Florida only ranged in the single digits at a time for many decades.[3]

A small number of museum specimens exist of flamingo eggs allegedly collected in Florida, all from the 1880s. Three of these (including one collected by Edward Wilkinson) are labeled as originating from the Florida Keys, while one is labeled as having been collected around Tampa. However, none of these specimens have specific collection notes, and the provenance of the Tampa specimen is considered highly erroneous. However, the collection dates are consistent with nesting seasons for other American flamingo populations, bolstering their accuracy. There is a single potential sight record of nesting flamingos in Florida: a 1901 report from a Keys resident mentions a flock of 40-50 flamingos on Sugarloaf Key standing by "whitish stumps", which may potentially refer to the flamingos' mud nests. Despite the ambiguity of these reports, the geomorphology of these sites closely resembles that of flamingo nesting sites elsewhere in the Caribbean, supporting their accuracy. It is thus largely agreed that flamingos were likely former nesters in Florida.[3]

A wild American flamingo in Florida Bay, Everglades National Park. Some Florida Bay birds are thought to be year-round residents

Sightings of flamingos in Florida had reached a low by the 1940s, with no registered records for the entire decade. During the 1950s, wild flamingo sightings started to tick up again, but birds from the captive population at Hialeah Park frequently escaped, leading to the conclusion that the majority of flamingo sightings in Florida were of escapees; until 2018, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission listed it as a nonnative species. From a distance, untrained eyes can also confuse it with the roseate spoonbill, leading to further confusion.[3][8][9] This belief persisted into the 21st century even as flamingo sightings started to become more and more frequent, although at least one bird banded as a chick in the Yucatán Peninsula was recorded in 2012 in Everglades National Park. The maximum sizes of observed flocks also increased over time, with the largest increase between 1990 and 2015. The largest flock of Florida flamingos since the early 20th century was spotted in 2014, when a very large flock of over 147 flamingos temporarily stayed at Stormwater Treatment Area 2 on Lake Okeechobee, with a few returning the following year.[10][11]

A vagrant American flamingo near Fort Myers, Florida

A 2018 study confirmed the native status of flamingos in Florida and called for their federal protection as a threatened species, which had been debated by agencies during the prior decades. The study found that the growing flamingo sightings likely represent wild individuals and not escapes, and that at least some of these individuals are year-round residents in Florida. The status of flamingos as a former resident species was proven with the observations and breeding records by early naturalists, while the existence of modern resident populations was based on an abandoned young flamingo named Conchy found in Key West, who was radio-tagged and found to stay in Florida Bay year-round with other flamingos. The study also indicated that as flamingo populations around the Caribbean recover, more flamingos may join the resident populations and recolonize Florida, as has happened elsewhere in the Caribbean.[12][13][14][15]

In 2023, Hurricane Idalia blew in large numbers of flamingos across the eastern United States, with records from Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, as far north as Ohio and Pennsylvania, and as far northwest as Wisconsin. These vagrant populations likely originated from the Yucatan Peninsula, were caught in the storm while enroute to Cuba, and carried until the storm's landfall in the United States, after which they dispersed.[16][17]

Description

Close-up of head at São Paulo Zoo, Brazil

The American flamingo is a large

brood
their young. They may reach sexual maturity between 3 and 6 years of age, though usually they do not reproduce until they are 6 years old. Their life expectancy of 40 years is one of the longest in birds.

Adult American flamingos are smaller on average than greater flamingos, but are the largest flamingos in the Americas. They measure from 120 to 145 cm (47 to 57 in) tall. The males weigh an average of 2.8 kg (6.2 lb), while females average 2.2 kg (4.9 lb). Most of its plumage is pink, giving rise to its earlier name of rosy flamingo and differentiating adults from the much paler greater flamingo. The wing coverts are red, and the primary and secondary flight feathers are black. The bill is pink and white with an extensive black tip. The legs are entirely pink. The call is a goose-like honking. It is one of the species to which the

Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds
applies.

Mating and bonding behaviors

Mating and bonding behaviors of P. ruber individuals have been extensively studied in captivity. The American flamingo is usually monogamous when selecting a nest site, and incubating and raising young; however, extra-pair copulations are frequent.

A chick and its mother

While males usually initiate courtship, females control the process. If interest is mutual, a female walks by the male, and if the male is receptive, he walks with her. Both parties make synchronized movements until one member aborts this process. For low-intensity courtships, males and females walk in unison with their heads raised. In high-intensity courtships, males and females walk at a quick pace with their heads dropped in a false feeding posture. This high-intensity courtship stops at any point if either bird turns and the other does not follow, the heads are raised, unison movements are stopped, or the pace of movement is slowed. If the female is ultimately receptive to copulation, she stops walking and presents for the male. Long-term pairs do not frequently engage in courtship behaviors or in-group display. Pairs often stand, sleep, and eat in close proximity.

Courtship is most often seen among individuals that change partners often or are promiscuous. A spectrum of pairing relationships is seen. Some birds have a long-term partner throughout the year; others form pairs during periods of courtship and nest attendance. How long a relationship lasts is affected by many factors, including addition and removal of adults, maturation of juveniles, and occurrence of trios and quartets. In most pairs, both individuals usually construct and defend the nest site. In rare cases, one individual undertakes both duties. Within trios, the dominant pair begins the nesting process by choosing and then defending the site.

MHNT

For trios with one male and two females, the subordinate female is tolerated by the male, but often fights with the dominant female. If two females share a nest and both lay an egg, one female will try to destroy the other egg or roll it out of the nest. For trios with two males and one female, the subordinate male is tolerated by both individuals and often becomes the primary incubator and caregiver of the chicks. For quartets, the dominant male and two females take care of the nest, while the subordinate male remains around the periphery, never gaining access to the nest. Less animosity is observed between the dominant and subordinate females in quartets compared to trios.[18]

The egg is attended constantly and equally by alternating parents. Chicks at the nest are attended constantly by alternating parents, up to 7–11 days of age. Most attentive periods during incubation and brooding last 21–60 hours, both in the case where the ‘off-duty’ parents remain in the same lagoon to feed, or (when breeding occurs in lagoons deficient in food), they fly to other lagoons to feed. Nest reliefs during incubation take place predominantly in late afternoon, or early morning.

A group of immature birds at Lago de Oviedo, Dominican Republic

The time for receiving food from parents decreases from hatching to about 105 days, and the decrease is greatest after the chicks have left the nest at 7–11 days to band into crèches. The frequency and the duration of feeds by male and female partners do not differ significantly. After chicks have left the nest, feeds are predominantly nocturnal.[19]

Adaptations

The American flamingo has adapted to its shallow-water environment in several ways. It has evolved long legs and large webbed feet to wade and stir up the bottom of the water bed to bring up their food source to then be retrieved. To feed, it has evolved a specialized beak which is hooked downward and features marginal

widgeon grass, seeds and algae.[21][22] They are also known to consume mud from which they are able to get microorganisms and bacteria and obtain nutrients.[21][22]
It submerges its head under water to retrieve its food, and may have its head under water for long times, which requires it to hold its breath. Factors which affect the habitat choice of American flamingos are environmental temperatures, water depth, food source, accessibility of an area, and the presence of vegetation beds in feeding areas. If available food items do not meet the needs of the flamingos or the temperature is not appropriate to their requirements, they move to a better feeding or more temperate area.

Osmoregulation

Further information:
Avian anatomy § Kidney

The role of

hyperosmotic to the bodies cells . Also, though not commonly, they can drink fresh water at near-boiling temperatures from geysers. From their high-salt diet, they would lose more water and have a greater salt uptake. One way in which they osmoregulate is through the use of a salt gland, which is found in their beaks.[23] This salt gland helps excrete excess salt from the body through the nasal openings in the flamingo's beaks. When these birds consume salt, the osmolarity increases in the blood plasma through the gut. This causes water to move out of the cells, increasing extracellular fluids. Both these changes, in turn, activate the salt glands of the bird,[24] but before any activity occurs in the salt glands, the kidney has to reabsorb the ingested sodium from the small intestine. As seen in other saltwater birds, the fluid that is excreted has been seen to have an osmolarity greater than that of the salt water, but this varies with salt consumption and body size.[25]

As food and saltwater are ingested, sodium and water absorption begins through the walls of the gut and into the

renal tubules. This increase in osmotic plasma levels causes extracellular fluid volume to increase, which triggers receptors in both the brain and heart. These receptors then stimulate salt gland secretion and sodium is able to efficiently leave the body through the nares while maintaining a high body water level.[24]

Flamingos, like many other marine birds, have a high saline intake, yet even the

Aquaporins
increase the membrane permeability to water, as well as causes less water to move from the blood and into the kidney tubules.

Specialized osmoregulatory cells and transport mechanisms

The

teleost fish
.

These cells within the salt gland employ several types of transport mechanisms that respond to

NKCC), and a basal potassium channel to secrete salt (NaCl) into secretory tubes.[28] The ATPase uses energy from ATP to pump three sodium ions out of the cell and two potassium ions into the cell. The potassium channel allows potassium ions to diffuse out of the cell. The cotransporter pumps one sodium, potassium and two chloride ions into the cell. The chloride ion diffuses through the apical membrane into the secretory tube and the sodium follows via a paracellular route.[26] This is what forms the hyperosmotic
solution within the salt glands.

Circulatory system

Although there has been little investigation on the specific circulatory and cardiovascular system of the phoenicopteridae, they possess the typical features of an avian circulatory system. As is seen in other aves, the flamingo's circulatory system is closed maintaining a separation of oxygenated and deoxygenated blood. This maximizes their efficiency to meet their high metabolic needs during flight. Due to this need for increased cardiac output, the avian heart tends to be larger in relation to body mass than what is seen in most mammals.

Heart type and features

The avian circulatory system is driven by a four-chambered, myogenic heart contained in a fibrous pericardial sac. This pericardial sac is filled with a

epicardial layers.[29]
The atrium walls tend to be thinner than the ventricle walls, due to the intense ventricular contraction used to pump oxygenated blood throughout the body.

Organization of circulatory system

Similar to the atrium, the arteries are composed of thick elastic muscles to withstand the pressure of the ventricular constriction, and become more rigid as they move away from the heart. Blood moves through the arteries, which undergo

vascularized feet that use a countercurrent exchange system in their legs and feet. This method of thermoregulation keeps a constant gradient between the veins and arteries that are in close proximity in order to maintain heat within the core and minimize heat loss or gain in the extremities. Heat loss is minimized while wading in cold water, while heat gain is minimized in the hot temperatures during rest and flight.[31]

Physical and chemical properties of pumping blood

Avian hearts are generally larger than mammalian hearts when compared to body mass. This adaptation allows more blood to be pumped to meet the high metabolic need associated with flight. Birds, like the flamingo, have a very efficient system for diffusing oxygen into the blood; birds have a ten times greater surface area to gas exchange volume than mammals. As a result, birds have more blood in their capillaries per unit of volume of lung than a mammal.[32] The American flamingo's four-chambered heart is myogenic, meaning that all the muscle cells and fibers have the ability to contract rhythmically.[32] The rhythm of contraction is controlled by the pace maker cells which have a lower threshold for depolarization. The wave of electrical depolarization initiated here is what physically starts the heart's contractions and begins pumping blood. Pumping blood creates variations in blood pressure and as a result, creates different thicknesses of blood vessels. The Law of LaPlace can be used to explain why arteries are relatively thick and veins are thin.

Blood composition

It was widely thought that avian blood had special properties which attributed to a very efficient extraction and transportation of oxygen in comparison to mammalian blood. This is not true; there is no real difference in the efficiency of the blood, and both mammals and birds use a

eosinophils in free living birds are higher because these cells are the ones that fight off parasites with which a free living bird may have more contact than a captive one. Captive birds showed higher hematocrit and red blood cell numbers than the free living flamingos, and a blood hemoglobin increase was seen with age. An increase in hemoglobin would correspond with an adults increase in metabolic needs. A smaller mean cellular volume recorded in free living flamingos coupled with similar mean hemoglobin content between captive and free living flamingos could show different oxygen diffusion characteristics between these two groups. Plasma chemistry remains relatively stable with age but lower values of protein content, uric acid, cholesterol, triglycerides, and phospholipids were seen in free living flamingos. This trend can be attributed to shortages and variances in food intake in free living flamingos.[34]

Blood composition and osmoregulation

Avian

erythrocytes (red blood cells) have been shown to contain approximately ten times the amount of taurine (an amino acid) as mammal erythrocytes. Taurine has a fairly large list of physiological functions; but in birds, it can have an important influence on osmoregulation. It helps the movement of ions in erythrocytes by altering the permeability of the membrane and regulating osmotic pressure within the cell. The regulation of osmotic pressure is achieved by the influx or efflux of taurine relative to changes in the osmolarity of the blood. In a hypotonic environment, cells will swell and eventually shrink; this shrinkage is due to efflux of taurine. This process also works in the opposite way in hypertonic environments. In hypertonic environments cells tend to shrink and then enlarge; this enlargement is due to an influx in taurine, effectively changing the osmotic pressure.[35]
This adaptation allows the flamingo to regulate between differences in salinity.

Respiratory system

Further information:
Avian anatomy § Respiratory system

Relatively few studies have focused on the flamingo respiratory system, however little to no divergences from the standard avian anatomical design have occurred in their evolutionary history. Nevertheless, some physiological differences do occur in the flamingo and structurally similar species.

The respiratory system is not only important for efficient

Hering-Breuer reflex that uses stretch receptors in the lungs, and the vagus nerve.[36] This effect of the panting is accelerated by a process called gular fluttering;[37] rapid flapping of membranes in the throat which is synchronized with the movements of the thorax. Both of these mechanisms promote evaporative heat loss, which allows for the bird to push out warm air and water from the body. Increases in respiratory rate would normally cause respiratory alkalosis because carbon dioxide levels are rapidly dropping in the body, but the flamingo is able to bypass this, most likely through a shunt mechanism,[38] which allow it to still maintain a sustainable partial pressure of carbon dioxide in the blood. Since the avian integument is not equipped with sweat glands, cutaneous cooling is minimal. Because the flamingo's respiratory system is shared with multiple functions, panting must be controlled to prevent hypoxia
.

For a flamingo, having such a long neck means adapting to an unusually long

trachea. Tracheas are an important area of the respiratory tract; aside from directing air in and out of the lungs, it has the largest volume of dead space in the tract. Dead space in avians is around 4.5 times higher in mammals of roughly the same size.[29] In particular, flamingos have a trachea that is longer than its body length[39] with 330 cartilaginous rings.[40] As a result, they have a calculated dead space twice as high as another bird of the same size.[41] To compensate for the elongation, they usually breathe in deep, slow patterns.[29]

One hypothesis for the bird's adaptation to

trachea and can often wrap around the bird's body. When faced with a heat load, birds often use thermal panting and this adaptation of tracheal coiling allows ventilation of non-exchange surfaces which can enable the bird to avoid respiratory alkalosis. The flamingo uses a "flushout" pattern of ventilation where deeper breaths are essentially mixed in with shallow panting to flush out carbon dioxide and avoid alkalosis. The increased length of the trachea provides a greater ability for respiratory evaporation and cooling off without hyperventilation.[42]

Thermoregulation

P. ruber stands on one leg in order to retain body heat
Further information: Thermoregulation § In birds and mammals

Thermoregulation is a matter of keeping a consistent body temperature regardless of the surrounding

ambient temperature. Flamingos require both methods of efficient heat retention and release. Even though the American flamingo resides mainly close to the equator where there is relatively little fluctuation in temperature, seasonal and circadian
variations in temperature must be accounted for.

Like all animals, flamingos maintain a relatively constant

homeothermic endotherm it is still faced with the challenge of maintaining a constant body temperature while being exposed to both the day (light period) and night (dark period) temperatures of its environments. Phoenicopterus ruber have evolved a number of thermoregulatory mechanisms to keep itself cool during the light period and warm during the dark period without expending too much energy. The American flamingo has been observed in a temperature niche between 17.8–35.2 °C (64.0–95.4 °F).[43] In order to prevent water loss through evaporation when temperatures are elevated the flamingo will employ hyperthermia as a nonevaporative heat loss method keeping its body temperature between 40–42 °C (104–108 °F).[37] This allows heat to leave the body by moving from an area of high body temperature to an area of a lower ambient temperature. Flamingos are also able to use evaporative heat loss methods such as, cutaneous evaporative heat loss and respiratory evaporative heat loss. During cutaneous heat loss, Phoenicopterus ruber relies on evaporation off of the skin to reduce its body temperature. This method is not very efficient as it requires evaporation to pass through the plumage. A more efficient way to reduce its body temperature is through respiratory evaporative heat loss, where the flamingo engages in panting to expel excessive body heat. During the dark period the flamingos tend to tuck their heads beneath their wing to conserve body heat. They may also elicit shivering as a means of muscular energy consumption to produce heat as needed.[29]

One of the most distinctive attribute of P. ruber is its unipedal stance, or the tendency to stand on one leg. While the purpose of this iconic posture remains ultimately unanswered, strong evidence supports its function in regulating body temperature.[44] Like most birds, the largest amount of heat is lost through the legs and feet;[44] having long legs can be a major disadvantage when temperatures fall and heat retention is most important. By holding one leg up against the ventral surface of the body, the flamingo lowers the surface area by which heat exits the body.[43] Moreover, it has been observed that during periods of increased temperatures such as mid-day, flamingos will stand on both legs. Holding a bipedal stance multiplies the amount of heat lost from the legs and further regulates body temperature.[44]

Migration

The flock flight at Cayo Coco, Cuba

Like other flamingo species, American flamingos will migrate short distances to ensure that they get enough food or because their current habitat has been disturbed in some way. One habitat disturbance that has been observed to cause flamingos to leave their feeding grounds is elevated water levels. These conditions make it difficult for Phoenicopterus ruber to wade, hindering their ability to access food. The flamingos will then abandon their feeding grounds in search of an alternate food source.

migratory birds
, flamingos still fly for periods without eating.

References

  1. ^
    doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-3.RLTS.T22729706A138951737.en
    . Retrieved 15 December 2022.
  2. ^ "Appendices | CITES". cites.org. Retrieved 2022-01-14.
  3. ^
    S2CID 90787416
    .
  4. S2CID 83573624
    .
  5. ^ del Hoyo, J., Boesman, P. & Garcia, E.F.J. (2018). American Flamingo (Phoenicopterus ruber). In: del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., Sargatal, J., Christie, D.A. & de Juana, E. (eds.). Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. (retrieved from https://www.hbw.com/node/52785 on 16 September 2018).
  6. ^ World Wildlife Fund. 2010. Petenes mangroves. eds. Mark McGinley, C.Michael Hogan & C. Cleveland. Encyclopedia of Earth. National Council for Science and the Environment. Washington DC
  7. ^ James, Austin (2013-09-13). "Why All The Pink Flamingos?". The Florida Explorer. Retrieved 2023-09-08.
  8. ^ Sizemore, Grant C.; Main, Martin B.; Pearlstine, Elise V. "Florida's Wading Birds". University of Florida. Flamingos may be confused with the Roseate Spoonbill for a variety of reasons. Both species have relatively long legs, long necks, and pinkish plumage. Both also sift through the water with their bills when feeding. Despite these similarities, the two species are unrelated. The easiest ways to tell the two species apart are by the dark outer wing feathers (primaries) on the flamingo and both species' distinctive bill shapes.
  9. ^ Hill, K. "Ajaia ajaia (Roseate Spoonbill)". Smithsonian Marine Station at Fort Pierce. From a distance, [the roseate spoonbill] can be confused with the [flamingo], due to the similarity of body color in both species. However, the roseate spoonbill is generally smaller than the flamingo, with a shorter neck, and a longer, spoon-shaped bill.
  10. ^ Silk, Robert (26 September 2012). "Banded flamingo traced back to Yucatan reserve". keynews.com. Key West Citizen. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 11 November 2015.
  11. ^ "Wild Flamingos Return to Florida". Audubon. 2015-06-01. Retrieved 2017-02-23.
  12. ^ "Surprising Origin of American Flamingos Discovered". 2018-03-10. Archived from the original on March 10, 2018. Retrieved 2018-04-16.
  13. ^ "Florida's Long-Lost Wild Flamingos Were Hiding In Plain Sight". NPR.org. Retrieved 2018-04-16.
  14. ISSN 0362-4331
    . Retrieved 2018-04-16.
  15. ^ "Hialeah's Famous Flamingos". Archived from the original on 26 May 2019. Retrieved 9 April 2022.
  16. ^ "Hurricane Idalia blows flamingos as far as Ohio". BBC News. 2023-09-06. Retrieved 2023-09-08.
  17. ^ Magazine, Smithsonian; Kuta, Sarah. "Flamingos Spotted in Wisconsin for First Time on Record Amid String of Rare Appearances". Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved 2023-09-29.
  18. JSTOR 1522162
    .
  19. ^ Tindle RW. Tupiza A. Blomberg SP. Tindle LE (2014). "The biology of an isolated population of the American Flamingo Phoenicopterus ruber in the Galapagos Islands" (PDF). Galapagos Research. 68: 15.
  20. S2CID 86067500
    .
  21. ^ a b "Phoenicopterus ruber (Caribbean Flamingo)" (PDF). Sta.uwi.edu. Retrieved 9 April 2022.
  22. ^ a b Meziani, Adam. "Phoenicopterus ruber (American flamingo)". Animaldiversity.org. Retrieved 9 April 2022.
  23. ISBN 978-0761476931
    .
  24. ^
    PMID 14613781
    .
  25. PMID 6124343
    .
  26. ^
    PMID 11986388
    .
  27. S2CID 2757501
    .
  28. PMID 2735444
    .
  29. ^
    ISBN 978-0-12-747605-6
    .
  30. ^
    ISBN 978-0-87893-559-8
    .
  31. S2CID 22873434
    .
  32. ^
    ISBN 978-1587650192
    .
  33. ISBN 978-1587650192
    .
  34. doi:10.1016/0300-9629(92)90723-4
    .
  35. doi:10.1016/0300-9629(89)90363-0
    .
  36. doi:10.1051/rnd:19700614
    .
  37. ^
    S2CID 102137316
    .
  38. PMID 2574090
    .
  39. ISBN 978-3-89993-049-8
    .
  40. ^ Audubon, John James (1861). The birds of America: from drawings made in the United States and their territories. Vol. 6. California: Roe Lockwood. pp. 169–177.
  41. ISBN 978-0-486-69191-6
    .
  42. PMID 4070839
    .
  43. ^
    S2CID 52809625
    .
  44. ^
    PMID 19637281
    .
  45. doi:10.1111/j.1469-7998.2008.00485.x
    .

Further reading

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:
Phoenicopterus ruber (category)
Wikispecies has information related to Phoenicopterus ruber.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=American_flamingo&oldid=1213944575"