Phoenicopterus chilensis
Chilean Flamingo
IUCN Red List - Near Threatened
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The Chilean Flamingo breeds in
central Peru, and parts of Chile, Argentina and Bolivia. Chilean
Flamingos breed in coastal mudflats and lagoons at elevations up
to 14,700ft. Breeding conditions do not occur every year and
research has shown that Chilean Flamingos bred in only nine out
of twenty six years of one study. This species is in rapid
decline due to egg collecting, hunting and degradation of
habitat. In recent years, studies have shown that egg collecting
has resulted in the complete breeding failure of this species in
Bolivia. Important breeding sites in Argentina are under threat
due to increasing water extraction for irrigation projects.
Mining has resulted in habitat destruction and tourism is a
growing disturbance to breeding colonies. It is essential that
egg harvesting be controlled to prevent the further decline of
this species. |
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