James's flamingo

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James's flamingo
In southwestern Bolivia

Near Threatened  (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: Phoenicoparrus
Species:
P. jamesi
Binomial name
Phoenicoparrus jamesi
(
Sclater, PL, 1886)[3]
Range map
  Non-Breeding
  Year-round
  Breeding

James's flamingo (Phoenicoparrus jamesi), also known as the puna flamingo, is a species of flamingo that lives at high altitudes in the Andean plateaus of Peru, Chile, Bolivia, and northwest Argentina.

It is named for Harry Berkeley James, a British naturalist who studied the bird. James's flamingo is closely related to the

extinct until a population was discovered in a remote area in 1956.[5]

Description

Illustration by J. G. Keulemans (1886)

The James's flamingo is smaller than the Andean flamingo, and is about the same size as the Old World species, the

saltpetre mine born in Walsall, England) after whom the bird was named.[6][7] It typically measures about 90–92 cm (2.95–3.02 ft) long and weighs about 2 kg (4.4 lb).[8] James's flamingos have a very long neck made up of 19 long cervical vertebrae, allowing for a large range of movement and rotation of the head.[9] They are also distinctive for their long, thin legs. The knee is not externally visible: it is located at the top of the leg. The joint at the middle of the leg, which may be mistaken for the knee joint, is actually the ankle joint. Its plumage is very pale pink, with bright carmine streaks around the neck and on the back. When it is perched, a small amount of black can be seen in its wings; these are the "flight feathers". They have bright red skin around their eyes, which in adults are yellow. Their legs are brick red and their bills are bright yellow with a black tip.[9]

The James's flamingo is similar to most of the

hallux.[9]

Feathers

Comparison of bills of Andean flamingo (top) and James's flamingo (bottom)

Newly hatched flamingos are gray or white. Their feathers acquire a pink color by the time they are around 2 or 3 years old, due to their carotene-rich

feathers are the terpenoids: alpha- and beta-carotenes (similar to carotene in carrots).[10] An adult has 12 major feathers designed for flight on each wing. The body is covered in contour feathers, which protect the bird and also help with waterproofing (due to a secretion of oil at the base of the feathers). When the birds are roosting, they face into the wind so that the rain will not blow upwards and soak the underside of their feathers.[citation needed
]

Their plumage is pale pink, with bright carmine streaks around their necks and on their backs. When they are perching, a small amount of black can be seen in the wings; these are the flight feathers mentioned above. There are typically 12 to 16 tail feathers. James's flamingos molt their wing- and body feathers according to their breeding schedule and the color of the new feathers depends on the nature of their diet. There is no difference in color between males and females.

Flight

All flamingo species are capable of flying. The flight feathers are easily distinguished in James's flamingos as they are the only black feathers on the bird.[9] To begin flying, they run a few steps and then begin to flap their wings. When they want to land, they repeat this process in reverse, and as they touch down to a surface, they continue to run as they decelerate and stop flapping their wings. When migrating in a flock, flamingos have been observed to fly at speeds of up to 37 mph (60 km/h). But they may not reach this speed when traveling shorter distances.[11]

Ecology

Feeding

Feeding at Laguna Hedionda, Bolivia.

Both James's and Andean flamingos feed their chicks through an

microscopic algae.[4] The shape of the bill is deeply keeled. To feed, the flamingos' long legs allow them to walk into the water and swoop their necks down into an S-shape to allow the beak to enter the water. The S-shape is effective because it allows the head to be placed upright and the bottom of the bill to be placed as shallow or as deep as it pleases. Only lowering the distal end of the bill into the water allows nostrils to remain above water. The water filled with small organisms floods the bill and filtration process begins. The lakes, from which the flamingo typically feeds, are Andean lakes which are mostly fresh water,[14] but if salt water is encountered, the flamingos have salt glands in their nostrils where excess salt
is secreted.

The filtering process starts with the

lamellae which filter the food. In both the upper and lower jaw, the proximal portion of the bill contains lamellae that are ridge-like with a curvature and distal end become more like hooks. Marginal and submarginal lamellae are found, and James's flamingo has the greatest number of both, which also means a smaller intermarginal distance is seen between them. About 21 lamellae per cm are found in this species, which is more than twice the number found in other flamingos. When the upper and lower jaws close together, the lamellae mesh together to allow the bill to be closed fully.[15] The sizes of the diatoms associated with this size filtering apparatus are about 21–60 μm. Diatoms this size are typically found close to the edge of the water; even in colonies of multiple species, James's flamingos typically feed in the region closest to the edge of the water. The birds are able to use their webbed feet to help kick up microscopic algae if not enough are floating in the water column.[4]

Breeding

Mating ritual

breadth) compared to the other species, including the closely related Andean flamingo.[5]

Both the male and female

hatches. The chick breaks through the shell using an egg tooth, which is not actually a true tooth, but is actually a keratinized structure, which falls off after fully hatching. When newly hatched, the chick's bill is straight and red, but later develops a curve and the adult colors of beak. The feathers are white and grey and the legs are pink. The eyes of chicks are gray for their first year. The parents are able to distinguish their chick from others in the colony by appearance and vocalization.[9]

Conservation status

This species was determined to be

populations of the last three generations
of this species have declined.

The greatest threat to the population of this species is human destruction of their habitat. In local culture, stealing the eggs from the nest and sell them was common practice, but since then, measures have been taken to control this. Environmental threats such as heavy rainfall may also have an effect on the breeding of the species. Threats the productivity of the diatoms also threaten the species if enough food is available for them to eat.

See also

References

  1. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22697398A93612106.en
    . Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  2. ^ "Appendices | CITES". cites.org. Retrieved 2022-01-14.
  3. ^ Sclater, PL (1886). List of a Collection of Birds from the Province of Tarapaca, Northern Chili. pp. 395–404.
  4. ^ a b c Mascitti, V. and Kravetz, F.O., "Bill Morphology of South American Flamingos". The Condor. 104(1), 73.
  5. ^ a b Johnson, A.W., Behn, F., and Millie, W.R. "The South American Flamingos". The Condor. 60(5), 289-99
  6. RSPB Walsall Local Group. Archived from the original
    on 2016-09-17. Retrieved 20 July 2011.
  7. Hathi Trust
    .
  8. ^ "Puna flamingo videos, photos and facts – Phoenicoparrus jamesi – ARKive". arkive.org. Archived from the original on 2010-10-15. Retrieved 2010-12-21.
  9. ^ a b c d e f SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment. "Flamingos". seaworld.org. Archived from the original on 2013-11-11. Retrieved 2010-03-23.
  10. ^ Jenkin, P.M. "The Filter-Feeding and Food of Flamingoes (Phoenicopter)". Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. 240(674), 401-493.
  11. ^ Johnson, A.W., Behn, F., and Millie, W.R. "The South American Flamingos".The Condor.60(5), 289-99
  12. ^ Sabat, P. and Novoa, F.F. "Digestive Constraints and Nutrient Hydrolysis in Nestlings of Two Flamingo Species". The Condor. 103(2), 396.
  13. ^ Conway, William G. "CARE OF JAMES'S FLAMINGO Phoenicoparrus jamesi Sclater AND THE ANDEAN FLAMINGO Phoenicoparrus andinus R. A. Philippi IN CAPTIVITY". International Zoo Yearbook. 5(1), 162-164
  14. ^ "Birding Alto Andino". birdingaltoandino.com. Archived from the original on 2011-08-27.
  15. ^ Jenkin, P.M. "The Filter-Feeding and Food of Flamingoes (Phoenicopter)". Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. 240(674), 401-493.

External links

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