Flamingos are gregarious wading birds in the genus Phoenicopterus and family Phoenicopteridae. They are found in both the Western and Eastern Hemispheres, but are more numerous in the latter. There are four species in the Americas while two exist in the Old World. A group of flamingos is called a "pat".

Systematics

Species

Evolution

Lesser Flamingos in the Ngorongoro Crater, Tanzania

The prehistory of the Phoenicopteriformes is far better researched than their systematic affinities (see below). An extinct family of peculiar "swimming flamingos", the Palaelodidae, was initially believed to be the ancestors of the Phoenicopteridae. This is nowadays rejected, as the fossil genus Elornis, apparently a true albeit primitive flamingo, is known from the Late Eocene, before any palaelodid flamingos have been recorded. A considerable number of little-known birds from the Late Cretaceous onwards are sometimes considered to be flamingo ancestors. These include the genera Torotix, Parascaniornis, Scaniornis, Gallornis, Agnopterus, Tiliornis, Juncitarsus and Kashinia; the latter two are probably proto-flamingos, while the relationships of the others are not clear at present. There exists a fairly comprehensive fossil record of the genus Phoenicopterus. The systematics of prehistoric Phoenicopteriformes known only from fossils is as follows:

• Placement unresolved
• Phoeniconotius (Etadunna Late Oligocene/Early Miocene of Lake Pitikanta, Australia)

• Palaelodidae
• Adelalopus (Borgloon Early Oligocene of Hoogbutsel, Belgium)
• Palaelodus (Middle Oligocene -? Middle Pleistocene)
• Megapaloelodus (Late Oligocene - Early Pliocene)

• Phoenicopteridae
• Elornis (Late Eocene - Early Oligocene)
• Phoenicopteridae gen. et sp. indet. (Camacho Middle? - Late Miocene? of San José, Uruguay: Ubilla et al. 1990)
• Prehistoric species of Phoenicopterus:
• Phoenicopterus croizeti (Middle Oligocene - Middle Miocene of C Europe)
• Phoenicopterus floridanus (Early Pliocene of Florida)
• Phoenicopterus stocki (Middle Pliocene of Rincón, Mexico)
• Phoenicopterus copei (Late Pleistocene of W North America and C Mexico)
• Phoenicopterus minutus (Late Pleistocene of California, USA)
• Phoenicopterus aethiopicus