Puna flamingo, Parina, Parinagua
James's flamingo (Phoenicoparrus jamesi ), also known as the puna flamingo, is a species of flamingo that lives at high altitudes in the Andean plateaus of Peru, Chile, Bolivia, and northwest Argentina.
It is named for Harry Berkeley James, a British naturalist who studied the bird. James's flamingo is closely related to the Andean flamingo, and the two species are the only members of the genus Phoenicoparrus. The Chilean flamingo, Andean flamingo, and James's flamingo are all sympatric, and all live in colonies (including shared nesting areas). James's flamingo had been thought to be extinct until a population was discovered in a remote area in 1956.
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DiurnalDiurnal animals are active during the daytime, with a period of sleeping or other inactivity at night. The timing of activity by an animal depends ...
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HerbivoreA herbivore is an animal anatomically and physiologically adapted to eating plant material, for example, foliage, for the main component of its die...
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AlgivoreAn algivore is a common name for many bottom-dwelling or algae-eating species that feed on algae.
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SemiaquaticSemiaquatic animals are those that are primarily or partly terrestrial but that spend a large amount of time swimming or otherwise occupied in wate...
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Wading birdsWading birds forage along shorelines and mudflats searching for small aquatic prey crawling or burrowing in the mud and sand. These birds live in w...
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Soaring birdsSoaring birds can maintain flight without wing flapping, using rising air currents. Many gliding birds are able to "lock" their extended wings by m...
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AltricialAltricial animals are those species whose newly hatched or born young are relatively immobile. They lack hair or down, are not able to obtain food ...
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TerrestrialTerrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land (e.g., cats, ants, snails), as compared with aquatic animals, which liv...
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CongregatoryCongregatory animals tend to gather in large numbers in specific areas as breeding colonies, for feeding, or for resting.
Oviparous animals are female animals that lay their eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the reproductive...
Precocial species are those in which the young are relatively mature and mobile from the moment of birth or hatching. Precocial species are normall...
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MonogamyMonogamy is a form of relationship in which both the male and the female has only one partner. This pair may cohabitate in an area or territory for...
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FlockingFlocking birds are those that tend to gather to forage or travel collectively. Avian flocks are typically associated with migration. Flocking also ...
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ColonialColonial animals live in large aggregations composed of two or more conspecific individuals in close association with or connected to, one another....
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MigratingAnimal migration is the relatively long-distance movement of individual animals, usually on a seasonal basis. It is the most common form of migrati...
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starts withThe rarest species of the flamingo family, James's flamingo is a sympatric bird, meaning that it can be found amongst flocks of the Chilean and Andean flamingos. It was thought that James's flamingo was extinct, up until the 1950s, but then a small flock was discovered in a remote location. This bird has an oval body with pinkish-white feathers, black flight feathers, and shoulder feathers that are bright red and elongated. In the mating season, adults develop pinkish-red streaks on their breast. James's flamingo is unique among flamingos because it has no hind toe, and it also has a shorter bill than other flamingos.
James's flamingo occupies the high altitudes of Andean plateaus of Peru, Chile, Bolivia, and Argentina. It inhabits highland salt lakes with a soft substrate and relatively sparse vegetation. It breeds on islets or islands of sand or soft clay, and along the shores of salt lakes.
James's flamingo lives in colonies, often numbering thousands. These huge groups of birds march together, often in a tightly packed flock. They are diurnal birds and spend most of their time feeding, preening, and resting. Their migration is not well understood, but it is known that flocks leave breeding grounds in higher altitudes when summer ends, possibly to move down to lower altitudes. Nonetheless, some birds stay at the breeding site, the hot springs within the area preventing the lakes from freezing during the cold weather. James's flamingos are noisy when in a flock, the voice being important for parents and chicks to be able to recognize each other. Several different calls are made, from the low gabbling sounds when feeding to nasal honking when in flight.
James's flamingo is a herbivore and feeds on diatoms and other microscopic algae.
James's flamingos are monogamous and form strong pairs that may last for many years. They usually engage in collective displays with a series of ritualized movements and postures. During such displays, their pair-bonds are formed. The mating season is from January to March. These flamingos nest in large colonies, often together with other South American flamingos. The parents build the nest together and a single egg is laid. Incubation starts immediately, is shared by both parents, and lasts 27 to 31 days. Once the chick first hatches, it is fed "crop milk", which is from the upper digestive tract of the parents. When chicks are able to walk, they join together in crèches, watched over by several adult birds. When it is 3 months old, the chick can survive independently without help from the parents. Young flamingos reach reproductive maturity within about 3 to 4 years and develop full adult plumage.
The biggest threat to James's flamingos is the destruction of their habitat by humans. Environmental threats like heavy rainfall may affect the breeding of this species. Anything that threatens the abundance of their food source threatens James's flamingos.
According to the IUCN Red List, the total James’s flamingo population is about 106,000 individuals. This species is classified as near threatened (NT) on the IUCN Red List but its population is stable currently.
James's flamingos have an impact on the populations of aquatic algae and diatoms in the lakes where they live. In areas where there is a dense population of flamingos, there is an increase in competition, and the available food diminishes more quickly. James's flamingos assist in wetland conservation through their habitual use of such areas, continually stirring up sediment and fertilizing the area with their waste products.
Social animals are those animals that interact highly with other animals, usually of their own species (conspecifics), to the point of having a rec...