Chilean Flamingo vs Greater Flamingo

Phoenicopterus chilensis compared with Phoenicopterus roseus

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Chilean Flamingo	Greater Flamingo
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class same	Aves (Birds)	Aves (Birds)
Order same	Phoenicopteriformes (Flamingos)	Phoenicopteriformes (Flamingos)
Family same	Phoenicopteridae (Flamingos)	Phoenicopteridae (Flamingos)
Genus same	Phoenicopterus (Flamingos)	Phoenicopterus (Flamingos)
Species	Phoenicopterus chilensis	Phoenicopterus roseus

Evolutionary Relationship

Chilean Flamingo and Greater Flamingo share a common ancestor at the Genus level: Phoenicopterus. (Flamingos)

Conservation Status

Chilean Flamingo

NE — Not Evaluated

Greater Flamingo

NE — Not Evaluated

Population: ~680.0K

Trend: Increasing ↑

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Chilean Flamingo	Greater Flamingo
Diet	—	Omnivore
Average Lifespan	—	40 years
Average Length	—	1.3 m
Average Weight	—	3.5 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

Chilean Flamingo

Habitat

Typically found in various aerial, terrestrial, and aquatic environments.

Range

Found across Europe (11 countries) and South America (Colombia, Ecuador).

Greater Flamingo

Habitat

Typically found in a wide range of habitat types.

Range

Found across Europe (7 countries).

Chilean Flamingo

A pale pink to grey flamingo with distinctive pink-kneed legs, Chilean flamingos inhabit high-altitude Andean salt lakes, coastal lagoons, and estuaries from Ecuador to Tierra del Fuego. Among the most cold-tolerant flamingo species, they thrive at altitudes above 4,000 meters in the Atacama and Altiplano regions. Their specialized bent bills filter algae and invertebrates from hypersaline waters, with populations moving seasonally between breeding and feeding sites.

Greater Flamingo

The most widespread flamingo species, greater flamingos reach 1.2 meters in height and inhabit saline and alkaline lakes across Europe, Africa, and South Asia. Their distinctive pink coloration derives from carotenoid pigments in the algae and crustaceans they filter-feed through specialized bent bills. They breed in dense colonies numbering tens of thousands on hypersaline lakes toxic to most other species. Listed as Least Concern with stable populations.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 7 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇫🇷 France 🇳🇱 Netherlands 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden 🇬🇧 United Kingdom