Andean Flamingo |
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Scientific classification
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Binomial name |
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Phoenicopterus andinus |
The Andean Flamingo
(Phoenicopterus andinus) is a bird species in the Flamingo family
restricted to the high Andes in S. Peru, Bolivia, N. Chile and NW Argentina. It
is closely related to the smaller James's Flamingo.
Like all flamingos it lays
a single chalky white egg on a mud mound. It's population in Northern Chile was
badly hit by drought, which cause the breeding lagoon areas to dry up, either
preventing nest building, or allowing predation especially from the Culpeo Fox,
Pseudalopex culpaeus.
Andean Flamingos, like all
the group, feed by filtering small items from water with their specialised
bills. They have a deep, narrow lower mandible, which allows them to eat small
foods such as diatoms, in contrast to the wider bill of larger species, which
take bigger prey items.
Most of the plumage is
pinkish white. The Andean Flamingo is the only species that has yellow legs and
feet. Its bill is yellowish as in James's Flamingo, but with a much more
extensive black tip.
Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Andean_Flamingo&action=history