Andean Flamingo: Habitat, Diet & Conservation Status

The Andean flamingo (Phoenicoparrus andinus) is a Vulnerable flamingo that depends on shallow, saline wetlands high in the Andes. It occurs across Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, and Peru, where it filter-feeds in alkaline lakes and moves between wetland sites as water and breeding conditions change. It is not simply a pink bird of one lake: protecting the network of wetlands it uses across the year is central to its conservation.

Scientific name: Phoenicoparrus andinus
IUCN status: Vulnerable
Range: Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, and Peru
Key habitat: shallow, mostly saline high-Andean wetlands

Andean flamingo standing in shallow water

Table of Contents

What is an Andean flamingo?

Andean flamingos are the largest flamingos found in the Andes. Adults have pale pink plumage with brighter pink on the neck and breast, yellow legs, and a pale-yellow-and-black bill that curves downward. They overlap with Chilean and James’s flamingos, but their yellow legs and the conspicuous black triangle made by their flight feathers are useful field marks. The IUCN SSC Flamingo Specialist Group describes the Andean flamingo as the largest of the three species that occur together in this region.

Its conservation status matters. The Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) lists the species as Vulnerable and includes it in the High Andean Flamingos conservation agreement. CMS’s current overview identifies Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, and Peru as the four range states covered by that agreement.

Where Andean flamingos live

Andean flamingos use the Central Dry Puna and other high-Andean wetlands. These are often saline lakes and lagoons in a cold, dry landscape rather than freshwater lakes. CMS places much of this habitat between about 2,300 and 4,800 metres above sea level, although the birds also use lower sites in parts of their range.

The wetlands are not interchangeable. During the breeding period, birds concentrate at a relatively small number of suitable high-elevation sites. Outside that period, some remain at altitude while others use lower-elevation wetlands and lakes. A tracking study published in Avian Conservation and Ecology found highly variable movements among wetlands in Argentina, Bolivia, and Chile. That is why a single protected lake is helpful but not sufficient: the species needs a connected network of safe sites.

For a plain-language explanation of how habitat, ecosystem, and biome differ, read Habitat vs. Ecosystem vs. Biome. The Andean flamingo is a strong example of why those distinctions matter: the bird uses particular wetland habitats within the broader high-Andean ecosystem.

What do Andean flamingos eat?

Andean flamingos are filter feeders. They feed with their head and bill submerged in shallow water, drawing water through fine structures in the bill called lamellae. Their diet is primarily made up of tiny organisms associated with the lake bottom, including diatoms and other micro-organisms. They do not dive underwater to catch fish.

Feeding depth can vary with the other flamingo species present and with conditions at a lake. The Flamingo Specialist Group notes that Andean flamingos usually forage in water no deeper than about one metre and often in much shallower water. This relationship between water depth, salinity, food availability, and species behaviour is one reason water extraction and disturbance can have effects far beyond the shoreline.

Breeding and movement: flexible, not a fixed route

Breeding is concentrated at a limited set of high-elevation wetlands in northern Chile, extreme southwestern Bolivia, and northwestern Argentina. Some birds stay near breeding wetlands in the non-breeding season, while others descend to lower wetlands or travel across the Andes. Researchers have found that these movements are highly variable rather than one predictable, clockwork migration route.

That uncertainty is useful conservation information, not a gap to paper over with a dramatic distance claim. Water availability, local conditions, and whether a bird attempted to breed can all influence where it goes. Protecting breeding, feeding, stopover, and wintering wetlands across national borders gives the species more resilience than concentrating work at one colony alone.

Why the Andean flamingo is Vulnerable

The central risk is loss or degradation of the wetland network the birds depend on. CMS reports that historical egg collection was a direct pressure, particularly before the early 1980s. Today, human disturbance and poorly regulated mining can erode nesting sites, contaminate water, and reduce water availability. Climate-driven retreat of Andean glaciers can further alter the water supply that sustains high-altitude wetlands.

Wetland disturbance: nesting and feeding sites can be disrupted by people, infrastructure, and unmanaged tourism.
Water stress and contamination: reduced or polluted water can change the shallow saline conditions and food webs the birds need.
Mining pressure: unregulated activity can damage nest sites and affect water quantity and quality.
Climate change: changing hydrology and glacier retreat may put additional pressure on already fragile wetlands.

These pressures are linked. A conservation response that only addresses egg collection, for example, cannot replace the need for clean water and functioning wetland habitat. Learn more about protecting the places wildlife needs in our guide to habitat-loss solutions.

Conservation work that can help

The CMS memorandum of understanding coordinates conservation for High Andean Flamingos and their habitats across the four range states. Its approach centres on habitat protection, research, monitoring, cooperation, and sharing information among countries and local partners. That cross-border work fits the species’ mobile life cycle: a bird protected at a breeding lake may still depend on wetlands elsewhere later in the year.

For readers, the most responsible way to help is to support organisations and policies that protect high-Andean wetlands, use water carefully, and respect wildlife viewing guidance. Avoid disturbing feeding or breeding birds, and choose conservation information that names its sources and makes clear what is known, what is changing, and what still needs study.

Explore more: see how habitat systems work in our guide to types of ecosystems, learn why wetlands matter in these wetlands facts, and compare conservation approaches in Conservation vs. Preservation.

Andean flamingo FAQs

Is the Andean flamingo endangered?

The Andean flamingo is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. Vulnerable is a threatened category, but it is different from the more severe Endangered and Critically Endangered categories.

What does an Andean flamingo eat?

It is a filter feeder that takes tiny organisms, especially diatoms and other micro-organisms, from shallow saline wetlands. It does not dive underwater to catch fish.

Where do Andean flamingos live?

They occur in the high Andes of Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, and Peru. Some birds stay at high elevation year-round, while others move to lower wetlands outside the breeding period.

What threatens Andean flamingos?

Important pressures include wetland disturbance, water contamination or reduced water availability, poorly regulated mining, and climate-related changes to high-Andean water systems.