A flamingo of the Caribbean and nearby regions, with long legs and a curved bill.
Its plumage is pink with black flight feathers. Chicks hatch with white down and become pink as they grow.
American Flamingos filter small food from shallow saline waters. Both sexes produce a nutritious digestive-tract secretion and pass it to chicks by mouth.
In 1999 and 2000, researchers sampled this food from fourteen wild chicks aged six to seven weeks in Yucatan, Mexico. A 2001 report analysed protein, fat, pigments and other nutrients.
Growing chicks gather in creches watched by adults, while each chick continues to receive food from its own parents. Nesting and parental feeding habitats support this shared nursery.
IUCN Red List (conservation institution account) · Least Concern · Global
Habitat loss and disturbance are threats. Colony protection has benefited the species; management at Cuba’s Rio Maximo reserve includes water-level and salinity control to prevent flood losses of eggs.