Greater Flamingo

Greater Flamingo
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Aves Order: Ciconiiformes Family: Phoenicopteridae Genus: Phoenicopterus Species: roseus
Binomial name
Phoenicopterus roseus Pallas, 1811

The Greater Flamingo (Phoenicopterus roseus) is the most widespread species of the Flamingo family. It is found in parts of Africa, south west Asia (including Turkey, and southern Europe (including Spain and the Camargue region of France). Some populations are short distance migrants.

This is a large species (120-140cm), closely related to the Caribbean Flamingo and Chilean Flamingo, with which it is sometimes considered conspecific. This article follows the treatment in Ibis (2002) 144 707-710

Like all flamingos, this species lays a single chalky white egg on a mud mound.

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.