American Flamingo

Phoenicopterus ruber

Range

• The southeast United States, the Caribean Islands, and the north coast of South America

Habitat

• Wetlands

Diet

• Algae
• Seeds
• Brine
• Fly larvae
• Shrimp
• Mollusks

The largest and pinkest flamingo in the Americas, this species can live 50 years or more.

Mated pairs incubate one egg atop a nest mound of dribbled mud. Hatched white, chicks form pink feathers once food bourne pigments accumulate within their bodies. Since 2004, the Tulsa Zoo has hatched over 20 of these New World flamingos.