Phoenicopterus andinus Andean Flamingo

IUCN Red List - Vulnerable

The Andean Flamingo is a large bird with a pale pink body and deep pink neck, yellow legs and a pale yellow and black beak. The black primary feathers of this species form a large triangle when it is perched. The Andean Flamingo lives in the high Andean Plateau of Peru, Chile, Bolivia and Argentina. The species breeds at only ten locations and numbers have declined sharply since the early 1990s. About 34,000 Andean Flamingos remain and breeding success is consistently low. Egg collecting was very intense during the mid 20th century and still presents a huge threat today. Mining activities, water diversion, erosion of nest sites and human population pressures are all causing this species rapid decline. Outside protected areas the species is still hunted for food. Habitat restoration and public education campaigns are being undertaken by conservationists along with continued efforts to increase protections of nesting colonies.