Chilean Flamingo
Phoenicopterus chilensis
Widespread and often numerous; found at shallow lakes and lagoons from the high Andes to Patagonian steppe and even in coastal waters. Adult is distinctive: pale pink with a salmon-pink “bustle” and grayish legs with red feet and “knees.” Immature often obviously smaller than adult, but has longer bill “hook” than the smaller and shorter-legged James’s Flamingo. Chilean Flamingo lacks the clean-cut black triangle on closed wings seen on Andean Flamingo. Far-carrying calls can suggest honking of geese.
Identification
The plumage is pinker than the slightly larger greater flamingo, but less so than the Caribbean flamingo. It can be differentiated from these species by its grayish legs with pink joints (tibiotarsal articulation), and also by the larger amount of black on the bill (more than half). Young chicks may have no sign of pink coloring whatsoever, but instead remain gray or peach.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Phoenicopterus chilensis
- Authority
- Molina, 1782
- Order
- Phoenicopteriformes
- Family
- Phoenicopteridae
- Genus
- Phoenicopterus
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Complete migrants
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Luzon Redstart
Phoenicurus bicolor
A fairly small bird of fast-flowing streams through foothill and montane forest or scrub. Slaty-blue with a rufous belly and tail. Female is a duller version of the male. Somewhat similar in color to Blue-headed Fantail, but has a shorter tail and is usually restricted to streams. Also similar to Blue Rock-Thrush, but smaller, with a dark tail. Song is a slightly ascending series of notes run together to sound like a quavering whistle.
Cape Wagtail
Motacilla capensis
Elegant, long-tailed bird with a brownish back, pale underparts, and a black chest band. White outer tail is conspicuous in flight. Found in most open habitats, especially those near water. Feeds by walking along the ground, bobbing its tail constantly. Call is a buzzy “tseeei” that is often doubled. Song is a complex jumble of different repeated notes. Similar to Mountain Wagtail but has brown rather than gray upperparts, and Cape has less white in the wings and tail. Also similar to juvenile African Pied Wagtail but lacks a white panel in the wing.
Hispaniolan Crossbill
Loxia megaplaga
A gregarious species of montane pine forests. This species can be deceptively hard to find when not calling, despite its bright colors and tendency to travel in flocks of up to twenty. Note that the namesake crossed bill can be hard to see. Males are clothed in red and bear bright white wingbars. The dull yellow-olive female can be separated from other species by its bold white wingbars and structure: the bill is stout and the tail is short and notched. Call is loud “djit, djit.” Its song is a soft series of warblings and trills.
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