Greater flamingo
Phoenicopterus ruber
Identification Tips:
- Sexes similar
- Large, long-legged wader with a long neck
- Pink legs and feet
- Black primaries and secondaries
- Holds neck extended in flight
- Rare and local in Florida
- Occasionally escapes from zoos
Adult:
- Dark pink plumage
- Hooked, pink bill with black tip
Immature:
- Pale pink and gray plumage
- Hooked, light bill with black tip
Similar species:
No other bird has a similar bill. Spoonbills are also long-legged pink wading
birds but have long, spatulate bills and lack black in the flight feathers.
The Greater Flamingo is quite rare and local in Florida and accidental
elsewhere. Several species of flamingos occasionally escape from zoos and can
be confused with the Greater Flamingo but they are
usually paler in color.