James's Flamingo
Encyclopedia
James's Flamingo is also known as the Puna Flamingo. Named for Harry Berkeley James, it populates the high altitudes of Andean
plateaus of Peru
, Chile
, Bolivia
and Argentina
. It is closely related to the Andean Flamingo
, and the two make up the genus Phoenicoparrus. The Chilean flamingo
, Andean flamingo and James's flamingo are all sympatric, and all live as a colony (including shared nesting areas). The James flamingo was thought to have been extinct
until a remote population was discovered in 1956.
, and is about the same size as the Old World species, the Lesser Flamingo
. A specimen of the bird was first collected by Charles Rahmer who was on a collecting expedition sponsored by Harry Berkley James after whom the bird was named. It measures about 3 feet (91.4 cm) tall on average and weighs about 4+1/2 lb. The James's Flamingo have a very long neck that is made up of 19 long cervical vertebrae
allowing for a lot of movement and rotation of the head. Their long thin legs also characterize them. The knee is not visible externally but is located at the top of the leg. The joint at the middle of the leg, which most assume to be 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 perched a small amount of black can be seen in the wings, these are the flight feathers. There is bright red skin around the eyes, which are yellow in adults. The legs are brick red and the bill
is bright yellow with a black tip. James's Flamingo is similar to other South America
n flamingo
s, but the Chilean Flamingo is pinker, with a longer bill without yellow, and the Andean Flamingo is larger with more black in the wings and bill, and yellow legs. The easiest method to distinguish James's flamingos is by the lighter feathers and the bright yellow on the bill. A good method to distinguish Phoenicoparrus from the other species is to look at the feet. In the other three species of flamingo
s the feet consist of three forward-facing toe
s and a hallux
. The two species of Phoenicoparrus have the three toes but do not have a hallux.
(similar to carotene in carrots). A diet
rich in carotene allows them to produce pigmented feather
s. An adult has 12 main feathers designed for flight on each wing
. The body is covered in contour feathers
, which protect the bird and also help with waterproofing from a secretion of oil at the base of the feather. When roosting they face the wind so that if it rains the rain does not get up and under the feathers. Plumage is pale pink, with bright carmine streaks around the neck and on the back. When perched a small amount of black can be seen in the wings, these are the flight feather
s mentioned above. There are typically 12 to 16 tail feathers. James' flamingos molt their wing and body feathers according to their breeding
schedule and the color of the new feathers depends on the quality of the diet that they have obtained. There is no evidence of color differentiation between the males and females.
s, flamingos usually appear stationary, they are able to fly
. They have specific feathers used to take flight. These feathers are easily distinguished in James's flamingo's because they're the only black feathers on the bird. In order to begin flying they run a few steps and then begin to flap their wings. When they want to land, the opposite process occurs and as they touch down to a surface they continue to run as they decelerate they stop flapping their wings. Flamingos have been noted to fly up to 60 kilometres per hour (37.3 mph). This measurement refers to a migration
of an entire flock but there is evidence that due to the limited regions in which this species is found, they do not migrate very far and therefore, may not reach this speed when going shorter distances.
secretion
that is regurgitated
from the crop
of the bird
. The difference between the two species lies in the composition of the prolactin
secretion produced by each bird. Both male and female parents are able to feed the chick. Adult flamingos are the most developed filter feeder
s of the birds. Of the species
, James' flamingo has the finest filter feeding apparatus and it well adapted to eating small particles compared to its body size. The flamingo feeds on diatom
s and other microscopic
algae
. The shape of the bill is deep 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. By only lowering the distal end of the bill into the water it allows nostril
s to remain above water. The water filled with small organisms floods the bill and filtration process begins. The lakes, which the flamingo typically feeds from, are Andean lakes which are mostly freshwater
, 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 tongue
, which is very soft and fleshy with channel like features that direct the food and water to the filtering apparatus. The bill of James' flamingo is the narrowest of its kind. Both the Andean and James flamingos have deep-keeled bills where the upper jaw is narrower than the lower. The gape
of the bill is therefore on the dorsal side of the bill. The bill of James' flamingo is smaller and has a narrower upper jaw. The proximal end of the bill is mostly horizontal then there is a curvature downward and the distal end finishes with a hook-like feature. The inner morphology
of the beak is similar to that of the Lesser flamingo
, where the upper and lower jaw
s contain lamellae which filter the food. In both the upper and lower jaw, the proximal portion of the bill contains lamellae that are ridge-like and as you approach the curvature and distal end they become more like hooks. There are marginal and submarginal lamellae and James's flamingo has the greatest number of both which also means there is a smaller intermarginal distance between them. There are 21 lamellae per cm in this species, which is more than twice the amount found in other flamingos. When the upper and lower jaws close together the lamellae mesh together to allow the bill to be closed fully. The sizes of the diatoms associated with this size filtering apparatus are anywhere from 21-60 μm. Diatoms this size are typically found close to the edge of the water
, it has been shown that even in colonies of multiple species the 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 there is not enough floating in the water column.
cycles in flamingos begin at 6 years of age when fully matured. The frequency
of breeding is irregular and may skip a year. It is not unusual for the entire colony
to participate in mating
rituals at the same time. The males put on a show by vocalizing and sticking their necks and heads straight up in the air and turning their heads back and forth. The female initiates the mating by walking away from the group and the male follows. The female then spreads her wings and the male mounts the female. The female lays one egg
on a volcano
shaped nest
made from mud, sticks, and other materials in the environment
. The shape of the egg is oval, similar to that of a chicken
. It is smaller in size (length
and breadth) compared to the other species including the closely related Andean flamingo. Both the male and female incubate
the egg for 26–31 days before it 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 colored beak. The feathers are white and grey and the legs are pink. The eyes of chicks are gray for its first year. The parents are able to distinguish their chick from others in the colony by appearance and vocalization.
by the IUCN in 2008. This classification was because the populations of the last three generation
s of this species has declined. The flamingo has since shown improvements which may be due to a less threatening environment.
The biggest threat to the population of this species is human destruction of their habitat. In local cultures it was common practice to steal the eggs from the nest and sell them but since then measures have been taken in order to control this. Environmental threats such as heavy rainfall may also have an effect on the breeding of the species. Anything that threatens the productivity
of the diatoms also threatens the species if there is not enough food for them to eat.
A map showing the range of the population of the species can be found at http://www.iucnredlist.org/apps/redlist/details/144725/0.
Andes
The Andes is the world's longest continental mountain range. It is a continual range of highlands along the western coast of South America. This range is about long, about to wide , and of an average height of about .Along its length, the Andes is split into several ranges, which are separated...
plateaus of Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
, Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
, Bolivia
Bolivia
Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
and Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
. It is closely related to the Andean Flamingo
Andean Flamingo
The Andean flamingo, or Phoenicopterus andinus, is one of the rarest flamingos in the world. It has a pale pink body with brighter upperparts, deep vinaceous-pink lower neck, breast, and wing-coverts. It is the only flamingo species with yellow legs and three-toed feet. The bill of the Andean...
, and the two make up the genus Phoenicoparrus. The Chilean flamingo
Chilean Flamingo
The Chilean Flamingo is a large species closely related to Caribbean Flamingo and Greater Flamingo, with which it was sometimes considered conspecific...
, Andean flamingo and James's flamingo are all sympatric, and all live as a colony (including shared nesting areas). The James flamingo was thought to have been extinct
Extinction
In biology and ecology, extinction is the end of an organism or of a group of organisms , normally a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and recover may have been lost before this point...
until a remote population was discovered in 1956.
Description
James's Flamingo is smaller than the Andean FlamingoAndean Flamingo
The Andean flamingo, or Phoenicopterus andinus, is one of the rarest flamingos in the world. It has a pale pink body with brighter upperparts, deep vinaceous-pink lower neck, breast, and wing-coverts. It is the only flamingo species with yellow legs and three-toed feet. The bill of the Andean...
, and is about the same size as the Old World species, the Lesser Flamingo
Lesser Flamingo
The Lesser Flamingo is a species in the flamingo family of birds that resides in Africa and in southern Asia...
. A specimen of the bird was first collected by Charles Rahmer who was on a collecting expedition sponsored by Harry Berkley James after whom the bird was named. It measures about 3 feet (91.4 cm) tall on average and weighs about 4+1/2 lb. The James's Flamingo have a very long neck that is made up of 19 long cervical vertebrae
Cervical vertebrae
In vertebrates, cervical vertebrae are those vertebrae immediately inferior to the skull.Thoracic vertebrae in all mammalian species are defined as those vertebrae that also carry a pair of ribs, and lie caudal to the cervical vertebrae. Further caudally follow the lumbar vertebrae, which also...
allowing for a lot of movement and rotation of the head. Their long thin legs also characterize them. The knee is not visible externally but is located at the top of the leg. The joint at the middle of the leg, which most assume to be the knee joint is actually the ankle joint. Its plumage
Plumage
Plumage refers both to the layer of feathers that cover a bird and the pattern, colour, and arrangement of those feathers. The pattern and colours of plumage vary between species and subspecies and can also vary between different age classes, sexes, and season. Within species there can also be a...
is very pale pink, with bright carmine
Carmine
Carmine , also called Crimson Lake, Cochineal, Natural Red #4, C.I. 75470, or E120, is a pigment of a bright-red color obtained from the aluminum salt of carminic acid, which is produced by some scale insects, such as the cochineal beetle and the Polish cochineal, and is used as a general term for...
streaks around the neck and on the back. When perched a small amount of black can be seen in the wings, these are the flight feathers. There is bright red skin around the eyes, which are yellow in adults. The legs are brick red and the bill
Beak
The beak, bill or rostrum is an external anatomical structure of birds which is used for eating and for grooming, manipulating objects, killing prey, fighting, probing for food, courtship and feeding young...
is bright yellow with a black tip. James's Flamingo is similar to other South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
n flamingo
Flamingo
Flamingos or flamingoes are gregarious wading birds in the genus Phoenicopterus , the only genus in the family Phoenicopteridae...
s, but the Chilean Flamingo is pinker, with a longer bill without yellow, and the Andean Flamingo is larger with more black in the wings and bill, and yellow legs. The easiest method to distinguish James's flamingos is by the lighter feathers and the bright yellow on the bill. A good method to distinguish Phoenicoparrus from the other species is to look at the feet. In the other three species of flamingo
Flamingo
Flamingos or flamingoes are gregarious wading birds in the genus Phoenicopterus , the only genus in the family Phoenicopteridae...
s the feet consist of three forward-facing toe
Toe
Toes are the digits of the foot of a tetrapod. Animal species such as cats that walk on their toes are described as being digitigrade. Humans, and other animals that walk on the soles of their feet, are described as being plantigrade; unguligrade animals are those that walk on hooves at the tips of...
s and a hallux
Hallux
In tetrapods, the hallux is the innermost toe of the foot. Despite its name it may not be the longest toe on the foot of some individuals...
. The two species of Phoenicoparrus have the three toes but do not have a hallux.
Feathers
Newly hatched flamingos are gray or white. They gain color after 2 or 3 years of age. The active component that gives the feathers the pink color is the proteins alpha and beta-caroteneCarotene
The term carotene is used for several related unsaturated hydrocarbon substances having the formula C40Hx, which are synthesized by plants but cannot be made by animals. Carotene is an orange photosynthetic pigment important for photosynthesis. Carotenes are all coloured to the human eye...
(similar to carotene in carrots). A diet
Diet (nutrition)
In nutrition, diet is the sum of food consumed by a person or other organism. Dietary habits are the habitual decisions an individual or culture makes when choosing what foods to eat. With the word diet, it is often implied the use of specific intake of nutrition for health or weight-management...
rich in carotene allows them to produce pigmented feather
Feather
Feathers are one of the epidermal growths that form the distinctive outer covering, or plumage, on birds and some non-avian theropod dinosaurs. They are considered the most complex integumentary structures found in vertebrates, and indeed a premier example of a complex evolutionary novelty. They...
s. An adult has 12 main feathers designed for flight on each wing
Wing
A wing is an appendage with a surface that produces lift for flight or propulsion through the atmosphere, or through another gaseous or liquid fluid...
. The body is covered in contour feathers
Pennaceous feather
Pennaceous feathers are also known as contour feathers. This type of feather is present in most modern birds, and has been shown in some species of maniraptoran dinosaurs....
, which protect the bird and also help with waterproofing from a secretion of oil at the base of the feather. When roosting they face the wind so that if it rains the rain does not get up and under the feathers. Plumage is pale pink, with bright carmine streaks around the neck and on the back. When perched a small amount of black can be seen in the wings, these are the flight feather
Flight feather
Flight feathers are the long, stiff, asymmetrically shaped, but symmetrically paired feathers on the wings or tail of a bird; those on the wings are called remiges while those on the tail are called rectrices . Their primary function is to aid in the generation of both thrust and lift, thereby...
s mentioned above. There are typically 12 to 16 tail feathers. James' flamingos molt their wing and body feathers according to their breeding
Breeding in the wild
Breeding in the wild is the natural process of animal reproduction occurring in the natural habitat of a given species. This terminology is distinct from animal husbandry or breeding of species in captivity...
schedule and the color of the new feathers depends on the quality of the diet that they have obtained. There is no evidence of color differentiation between the males and females.
Flight
Although in zooZoo
A zoological garden, zoological park, menagerie, or zoo is a facility in which animals are confined within enclosures, displayed to the public, and in which they may also be bred....
s, flamingos usually appear stationary, they are able to fly
Fly
True flies are insects of the order Diptera . They possess a pair of wings on the mesothorax and a pair of halteres, derived from the hind wings, on the metathorax...
. They have specific feathers used to take flight. These feathers are easily distinguished in James's flamingo's because they're the only black feathers on the bird. In order to begin flying they run a few steps and then begin to flap their wings. When they want to land, the opposite process occurs and as they touch down to a surface they continue to run as they decelerate they stop flapping their wings. Flamingos have been noted to fly up to 60 kilometres per hour (37.3 mph). This measurement refers to a migration
Bird migration
Bird migration is the regular seasonal journey undertaken by many species of birds. Bird movements include those made in response to changes in food availability, habitat or weather. Sometimes, journeys are not termed "true migration" because they are irregular or in only one direction...
of an entire flock but there is evidence that due to the limited regions in which this species is found, they do not migrate very far and therefore, may not reach this speed when going shorter distances.
Feeding
Both the James and Andean flamingos feed their chicks through an esophagealEsophagus
The esophagus is an organ in vertebrates which consists of a muscular tube through which food passes from the pharynx to the stomach. During swallowing, food passes from the mouth through the pharynx into the esophagus and travels via peristalsis to the stomach...
secretion
Secretion
Secretion is the process of elaborating, releasing, and oozing chemicals, or a secreted chemical substance from a cell or gland. In contrast to excretion, the substance may have a certain function, rather than being a waste product...
that is regurgitated
Regurgitation (digestion)
Regurgitation is the expulsion of material from the mouth, pharynx, or esophagus, usually characterized by the presence of undigested food or blood.Regurgitation is used by a number of species to feed their young...
from the crop
Crop (anatomy)
A crop is a thin-walled expanded portion of the alimentary tract used for the storage of food prior to digestion that is found in many animals, including gastropods, earthworms, leeches, insects, birds, and even some dinosaurs.- Bees :Cropping is used by bees to temporarily store nectar of flowers...
of the bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
. The difference between the two species lies in the composition of the prolactin
Prolactin
Prolactin also known as luteotropic hormone is a protein that in humans is encoded by the PRL gene.Prolactin is a peptide hormone discovered by Henry Friesen...
secretion produced by each bird. Both male and female parents are able to feed the chick. Adult flamingos are the most developed filter feeder
Filter feeder
Filter feeders are animals that feed by straining suspended matter and food particles from water, typically by passing the water over a specialized filtering structure. Some animals that use this method of feeding are clams, krill, sponges, baleen whales, and many fish and some sharks. Some birds,...
s of the birds. Of the species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
, James' flamingo has the finest filter feeding apparatus and it well adapted to eating small particles compared to its body size. The flamingo feeds on diatom
Diatom
Diatoms are a major group of algae, and are one of the most common types of phytoplankton. Most diatoms are unicellular, although they can exist as colonies in the shape of filaments or ribbons , fans , zigzags , or stellate colonies . Diatoms are producers within the food chain...
s and other microscopic
Microscopic
The microscopic scale is the scale of size or length used to describe objects smaller than those that can easily be seen by the naked eye and which require a lens or microscope to see them clearly.-History:...
algae
Algae
Algae are a large and diverse group of simple, typically autotrophic organisms, ranging from unicellular to multicellular forms, such as the giant kelps that grow to 65 meters in length. They are photosynthetic like plants, and "simple" because their tissues are not organized into the many...
. The shape of the bill is deep 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. By only lowering the distal end of the bill into the water it allows nostril
Nostril
A nostril is one of the two channels of the nose, from the point where they bifurcate to the external opening. In birds and mammals, they contain branched bones or cartilages called turbinates, whose function is to warm air on inhalation and remove moisture on exhalation...
s to remain above water. The water filled with small organisms floods the bill and filtration process begins. The lakes, which the flamingo typically feeds from, are Andean lakes which are mostly freshwater
Freshwater
Fresh water is naturally occurring water on the Earth's surface in ice sheets, ice caps, glaciers, bogs, ponds, lakes, rivers and streams, and underground as groundwater in aquifers and underground streams. Fresh water is generally characterized by having low concentrations of dissolved salts and...
, but if salt water is encountered, the flamingos have salt glands in their nostrils where excess salt
Salt
In chemistry, salts are ionic compounds that result from the neutralization reaction of an acid and a base. They are composed of cations and anions so that the product is electrically neutral...
is secreted. The filtering process starts with the tongue
Tongue
The tongue is a muscular hydrostat on the floors of the mouths of most vertebrates which manipulates food for mastication. It is the primary organ of taste , as much of the upper surface of the tongue is covered in papillae and taste buds. It is sensitive and kept moist by saliva, and is richly...
, which is very soft and fleshy with channel like features that direct the food and water to the filtering apparatus. The bill of James' flamingo is the narrowest of its kind. Both the Andean and James flamingos have deep-keeled bills where the upper jaw is narrower than the lower. The gape
Gape
In bird anatomy, the gape is the interior of the open mouth of a bird and the gape flange is the region where the two mandibles join together, at the base of the beak...
of the bill is therefore on the dorsal side of the bill. The bill of James' flamingo is smaller and has a narrower upper jaw. The proximal end of the bill is mostly horizontal then there is a curvature downward and the distal end finishes with a hook-like feature. The inner morphology
Morphology (biology)
In biology, morphology is a branch of bioscience dealing with the study of the form and structure of organisms and their specific structural features....
of the beak is similar to that of the Lesser flamingo
Lesser Flamingo
The Lesser Flamingo is a species in the flamingo family of birds that resides in Africa and in southern Asia...
, where the upper and lower jaw
Jaw
The jaw is any opposable articulated structure at the entrance of the mouth, typically used for grasping and manipulating food. The term jaws is also broadly applied to the whole of the structures constituting the vault of the mouth and serving to open and close it and is part of the body plan of...
s contain lamellae which filter the food. In both the upper and lower jaw, the proximal portion of the bill contains lamellae that are ridge-like and as you approach the curvature and distal end they become more like hooks. There are marginal and submarginal lamellae and James's flamingo has the greatest number of both which also means there is a smaller intermarginal distance between them. There are 21 lamellae per cm in this species, which is more than twice the amount found in other flamingos. When the upper and lower jaws close together the lamellae mesh together to allow the bill to be closed fully. The sizes of the diatoms associated with this size filtering apparatus are anywhere from 21-60 μm. Diatoms this size are typically found close to the edge of the water
Water
Water is a chemical substance with the chemical formula H2O. A water molecule contains one oxygen and two hydrogen atoms connected by covalent bonds. Water is a liquid at ambient conditions, but it often co-exists on Earth with its solid state, ice, and gaseous state . Water also exists in a...
, it has been shown that even in colonies of multiple species the 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 there is not enough floating in the water column.
Breeding
BreedingBreeding in the wild
Breeding in the wild is the natural process of animal reproduction occurring in the natural habitat of a given species. This terminology is distinct from animal husbandry or breeding of species in captivity...
cycles in flamingos begin at 6 years of age when fully matured. The frequency
Frequency
Frequency is the number of occurrences of a repeating event per unit time. It is also referred to as temporal frequency.The period is the duration of one cycle in a repeating event, so the period is the reciprocal of the frequency...
of breeding is irregular and may skip a year. It is not unusual for the entire colony
Colony
In politics and history, a colony is a territory under the immediate political control of a state. For colonies in antiquity, city-states would often found their own colonies. Some colonies were historically countries, while others were territories without definite statehood from their inception....
to participate in mating
Mating
In biology, mating is the pairing of opposite-sex or hermaphroditic organisms for copulation. In social animals, it also includes the raising of their offspring. Copulation is the union of the sex organs of two sexually reproducing animals for insemination and subsequent internal fertilization...
rituals at the same time. The males put on a show by vocalizing and sticking their necks and heads straight up in the air and turning their heads back and forth. The female initiates the mating by walking away from the group and the male follows. The female then spreads her wings and the male mounts the female. The female lays one egg
Egg (biology)
An egg is an organic vessel in which an embryo first begins to develop. In most birds, reptiles, insects, molluscs, fish, and monotremes, an egg is the zygote, resulting from fertilization of the ovum, which is expelled from the body and permitted to develop outside the body until the developing...
on a volcano
Volcano
2. Bedrock3. Conduit 4. Base5. Sill6. Dike7. Layers of ash emitted by the volcano8. Flank| 9. Layers of lava emitted by the volcano10. Throat11. Parasitic cone12. Lava flow13. Vent14. Crater15...
shaped nest
Bird nest
A bird nest is the spot in which a bird lays and incubates its eggs and raises its young. Although the term popularly refers to a specific structure made by the bird itself—such as the grassy cup nest of the American Robin or Eurasian Blackbird, or the elaborately woven hanging nest of the...
made from mud, sticks, and other materials in the environment
Natural environment
The natural environment encompasses all living and non-living things occurring naturally on Earth or some region thereof. It is an environment that encompasses the interaction of all living species....
. The shape of the egg is oval, similar to that of a chicken
Chicken
The chicken is a domesticated fowl, a subspecies of the Red Junglefowl. As one of the most common and widespread domestic animals, and with a population of more than 24 billion in 2003, there are more chickens in the world than any other species of bird...
. It is smaller in size (length
Length
In geometric measurements, length most commonly refers to the longest dimension of an object.In certain contexts, the term "length" is reserved for a certain dimension of an object along which the length is measured. For example it is possible to cut a length of a wire which is shorter than wire...
and breadth) compared to the other species including the closely related Andean flamingo. Both the male and female incubate
Avian incubation
Incubation refers to the process by which certain oviparous animals hatch their eggs, and to the development of the embryo within the egg. The most vital factor of incubation is the constant temperature required for its development over a specific period. Especially in domestic fowl, the act of...
the egg for 26–31 days before it hatches
Egg (biology)
An egg is an organic vessel in which an embryo first begins to develop. In most birds, reptiles, insects, molluscs, fish, and monotremes, an egg is the zygote, resulting from fertilization of the ovum, which is expelled from the body and permitted to develop outside the body until the developing...
. The chick breaks through the shell using an egg tooth
Egg tooth
In some egg-laying animals, the egg tooth is a small, sharp, cranial protuberance used by offspring to break or tear through the egg's surface during hatching...
, which is not actually a true tooth but is actually a keratinized
Keratin
Keratin refers to a family of fibrous structural proteins. Keratin is the key of structural material making up the outer layer of human skin. It is also the key structural component of hair and nails...
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 colored beak. The feathers are white and grey and the legs are pink. The eyes of chicks are gray for its first year. The parents are able to distinguish their chick from others in the colony by appearance and vocalization.
Conservation status
This species was determined to be near threatenedNear Threatened
Near Threatened is a conservation status assigned to species or lower taxa that may be considered threatened with extinction in the near future, although it does not currently qualify for the threatened status...
by the IUCN in 2008. This classification was because the populations of the last three generation
Generation
Generation , also known as procreation in biological sciences, is the act of producing offspring....
s of this species has declined. The flamingo has since shown improvements which may be due to a less threatening environment.
The biggest threat to the population of this species is human destruction of their habitat. In local cultures it was common practice to steal the eggs from the nest and sell them but since then measures have been taken in order to control this. Environmental threats such as heavy rainfall may also have an effect on the breeding of the species. Anything that threatens the productivity
Productivity
Productivity is a measure of the efficiency of production. Productivity is a ratio of what is produced to what is required to produce it. Usually this ratio is in the form of an average, expressing the total output divided by the total input...
of the diatoms also threatens the species if there is not enough food for them to eat.
A map showing the range of the population of the species can be found at http://www.iucnredlist.org/apps/redlist/details/144725/0.
External links
- Puna Flamingo from the IUCN/Wetlands International Flamingo Specialist Group
- Flamingo Resource Centre - a collection of resources and information related to flamingos
- Fauna of Atacama - image of James's Flamingo
- Harry Berkeley James' and his Flamingo