There are six recognized species of flamingo. The greater flamingo is the largest, standing up to 60 inches tall. The Caribbean flamingo has the brightest pink coloration and is almost as large as the greater flamingo. The Chilean flamingo is the most populous of the South American species. Its gray legs and pink knees and feet mark it out from other species. The lesser flamingo is both the smallest and the most common, with over 3 million birds spread across Africa and parts of Asia. The Andean flamingo is the largest South American species. It inhabits watercourses high in the Chilean, Bolivian, Peruvian and Argentinean plateaus which it shares with the James's flamingo, the smallest South American species.
Flamingos occupy alkaline or salt water courses which may be either coastal or inland. Their long legs and necks enable them to wade and feed comfortably in water. Typically, these environments are settings like mangrove swamps, tidal flats and sandy islands where the colonies can settle. Flamingos tend not to settle in areas where fish are present in great numbers since they compete with food supplies.
Flamingos tend to not be migratory; however, topical changes to their habitat such as drought or freezing conditions may encourage flocks to seek more amenable sites. Any birds that do migrate will normally return to their native colony to breed. The exception is the large population of flamingos in the Camargue in the South of France which in September each year fly to sites in Spain, Turkey or Tunisia.
Flamingos are social birds, living in colonies of many thousands of birds. In these colonies they spend a considerable amount of time in collective displays and posturing, often following a particular set pattern.
Individually, birds spend most of their time feeding, preening and resting, with the classic image being of birds standing on one leg with their head tucked under a wing. This action also helps them conserve energy and regulate their body temperature.
Flamingos feed on a diet of algae, insects, small fish and crustaceans. It is this diet, which is rich in alpha and beta carotenoid pigments, that gives flamingos their characteristic pink hue.
No flamingo species is recognized as being under threat under the U.S. Endangered Species Act, although as recently as 1924 the James's Flamingo was thought to be extinct.
All but the lesser flamingo are considered threatened by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, while The International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources/World Conservation Union believe the Andean and James's flamingos to be under threat.