A pink American flamingo standing in dark blue water. — Photo: JeffreyGammon, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

American Flamingo

Phoenicopterus ruber

The brightest-colored flamingo, also called the Caribbean flamingo, that filter-feeds with its bill upside down.

🪿 Wading Birds

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About the American Flamingo

American flamingos live in Mexico, the Caribbean and the northernmost tip of South America. They feed with their bill held upside down in the water, and comb-like plates called lamellae filter out tiny food. Their pink, red and orange colors come from carotenoid pigments in their food, the same kind of pigments that make carrots orange. American flamingos are the most brightly colored kind.^[1]

Quick facts

Scientific name: Phoenicopterus ruber^[1]
Size: Greater flamingos stand 3.9 to 4.7 feet (120 to 145 cm) tall.^[1]
Weight: Greater flamingos weigh 4.6 to 9 pounds (2.1 to 4.1 kg).^[1]
Lifespan: 20 to 30 years in the wild. Up to 50 years in zoos.^[1]
Diet: Filter feeder. Strains tiny food from the water.^[1]
Where it lives: Mexico, the Caribbean and the northernmost tip of South America.^[1]
Babies: Usually one egg, laid on a mud mound 12 to 24 inches high. Both parents feed the chick crop milk.^[1]
Conservation status: Least Concern (IUCN Red List, assessed 2020).^[2]

Fun facts

A flamingo eats with its bill held upside down in the water.^[1]
Flamingos get their color from carotenoid pigments in their food, like the pigments in carrots.^[1]
American flamingos are the most brightly colored flamingos.^[1]
Scientists still aren't sure why flamingos stand on one leg.^[1]

Vocabulary

filter feeder: An animal that eats by straining tiny bits of food out of water.
lamellae: Thin, comb-like plates inside a flamingo's bill that strain food from water.
pigment: A natural substance that gives something its color.
crop milk: A liquid some birds make in their throat to feed their chicks.
subspecies: A group within a species that lives in a certain area and looks a little different from other groups.

See it in person

Montgomery ZooMontgomery, Alabama · Flight AviarySee this area on the zoo's website ↗

These zoos had this animal when we gathered our information, but animals sometimes move. Check the zoo's website or contact the zoo before you visit.

Sources

[1] San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance. “Flamingo.” https://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/flamingo (accessed 2026-10-02)
[2] IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. “Phoenicopterus ruber (American Flamingo).” https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/22729706/138951737 (accessed 2026-10-02)

Facts last checked 2026-10-02.

More Wading Birds

African Sacred IbisThreskiornis aethiopicusA white ibis with a black head and neck that ancient Egyptians honored as a symbol of the god Thoth.African SpoonbillPlatalea albaA pure white African wading bird with a red face and legs and a long, spoon-shaped bill for sweeping up fish.Black Crowned CraneBalearica pavoninaA dark West African crane with a golden crown of stiff feathers that roosts in trees and dances when it breeds.Blue CraneAnthropoides paradiseusThe national bird of South Africa, a blue-gray crane of grasslands famous for courtship dances that can last for hours.

Cattle EgretBubulcus ibisA small white heron that follows grazing animals to catch the insects they stir up, and has spread from Africa around the world.Chilean FlamingoPhoenicopterus chilensisA pink flamingo of the high, cold salt flats of the southern Andes that feeds with its head upside down.Grey Crowned CraneBalearica regulorum (East African crowned crane: B. r. gibbericeps)An endangered African crane with a crown of stiff golden feathers, shown on the flag of Uganda. Also called the East African crowned crane.Hadada IbisBostrychia hagedashA gray-brown African ibis with shiny green-purple wings, named for its loud "haa-haa-haa-de-dah" call.HamerkopScopus umbrettaA brown African wading bird with a hammer-shaped head that builds the biggest nest of any bird in Africa.Lesser FlamingoPhoeniconaias minorThe world's smallest flamingo, which filters tiny algae from salty lakes and gathers in flocks of tens of thousands.Madagascar Crested IbisLophotibis cristataA forest ibis found only on Madagascar, with a brown body, white wings and a shiny greenish-blue crest.Malagasy Sacred IbisThreskiornis bernieriAn endangered white ibis with a black head and pale blue eyes that lives along the coasts of western Madagascar and Aldabra.

Marabou StorkLeptoptilos crumeniferA huge, bald-headed African stork that feeds mostly on dead animals and often gathers near lakes, rivers, garbage dumps and fishing villages.Northern Bald IbisGeronticus eremitaA glossy black ibis with a bald red head, also called the waldrapp, that was once common in Europe and is now one of the world's rarest birds.Roseate SpoonbillPlatalea ajajaA bright pink wading bird of the Americas that sweeps its spoon-shaped bill through shallow water to catch food.Scarlet IbisEudocimus ruberA bright red wading bird of northern South America that feeds mostly on crayfish and small crabs.Snowy EgretEgretta thulaAn all-white heron of the Americas with a black bill and bright yellow feet, famous for its lacy breeding plumes.Straw-Necked IbisThreskiornis spinicollisAn Australian ibis with straw-like neck feathers and a shiny back, nicknamed the "farmer's friend" for eating grasshoppers.Wattled CraneBugeranus carunculatusA tall African wetland crane with flaps of skin hanging from its chin that shrink when it's nervous and lengthen when it's excited.White StorkCiconia ciconiaA big white-and-black bird with a red bill that breeds in Europe, winters in Africa and inspired the story of storks delivering babies.White-Naped CraneGrus vipio (also called Antigone vipio)A tall gray-and-white crane of East Asian wetlands with a red face and pink legs, famous for its dancing.Yellow-Billed StorkMycteria ibisA tall white African stork with a bright yellow bill and red face that feels for fish and frogs in shallow water.