American Flamingo

Flamingos in the Galapagos Islands

Flamingos are among nature’s most dazzling creations. A tall, spectacularly pink bird with long, thin legs; a sleek, curvaceous neck, and a very bizarre bill (which is specifically designed to sift food from muddy water).

Any long look at this species really makes you wonder what evolutionary road it must have taken to reach this point.

“The Galapagos Flamingo”

Although often referred to as the Galapagos Flamingo, it is not an endemic species but a resident population of the American Flamingo. While classified as the same species found across the Caribbean, the Galapagos population has developed subtle genetic and physical differences over time. They are slightly smaller, differ in body shape, and lay smaller eggs. Some, however, consider it a specific Galapagos subspecies, and its classification remains open to debate.

Flamingo Population in Galapagos

When we think of flamingos, it’s easy to picture vast flocks wading through African lakes, numbering in the thousands.

In the Galapagos, the experience is very different. Here, seeing even a couple of flamingos gathered in a still, brackish lagoon is a special sight.

The total population in the Galapagos is estimated at around 300 individuals, distributed mainly across Isabela, Floreana, Santa Cruz, and Santiago. They are sometimes seen moving between lagoons on the same island, though their numbers remain limited and vulnerable to environmental changes.

Feeding and Coloration

Flamingos feed in shallow, brackish lagoons using a remarkable filtering technique. They shuffle their feet to stir up the sediment, then walk with their heads upside-down, sweeping their bills through the water. Their tongue acts like a piston, pumping water through fine, comb-like plates inside the bill that trap edible particles and tiny aquatic life.

The intensity of a flamingo’s pink colour comes from carotenoid pigments in its diet, which includes crustaceans, algae, molluscs, worms, and microscopic plant material. These pigments tint not only the bird’s feathers but also its skin, blood, and even the yolk of its eggs.

Breeding and Family Life

Breeding usually takes place from March to July in shallow lagoons where the birds perform synchronised courtship dances. When conditions are right, a pair builds a cone-shaped mud nest about 20 to 25 centimetres tall, and the female lays a single egg. Both parents take turns incubating for around 30 days.

Once hatched, chicks leave the nest within days to join a crèche (large groups of young guarded by several adults). They are born grey with straight bills, which gradually begin to curve after about three weeks. After 65 to 90 days, the chicks are able to fly.

Flamingos feed their young with a nutrient-rich secretion known as crop milk, produced in their upper digestive tract. This fluid is naturally pink because it contains the same carotenoid pigments that give the adults their colour. During the breeding season, so much of this pigment is diverted into their eggs and crop milk that the parents gradually lose their rosy hue, turning pale or almost white by the time the chicks are grown.

Conservation and Challenges

The small Galapagos population remains vulnerable to nest disturbance, predation by introduced species such as feral pigs, and changes in water levels caused by El Nino. Because flamingos abandon their nests if disturbed, protecting breeding sites is critical.

Conservation efforts across the islands aim to reintroduce locally extinct species and control invasive mammals that threaten nesting areas.

Where to See Them

American Flamingos are found in shallow, brackish lagoons across the islands, though sightings are rare due to their small population.