AnimalsFlamingos get their pink colour from pigments in the tiny shrimps and algae they eat. They feed with the head upside down, straining food from the water. Huge flocks gather in the Rann of Kutch in Gujarat.
Quick facts
- Scientific name
- Phoenicopterus roseus
- Group
- Birds
- Diet
- Omnivore (eats plants and animals)
- Lives in
- Africa, southern Europe and South Asia
- Habitat
- Shallow salt lakes and lagoons
- A young one is called
- chick or flaminglet
- A group is called
- flamboyance
- Conservation status
- Least Concern
How it is classified
Scientists sort living things into groups within groups. Reading down, each step is a smaller group, ending with the species itself.
- Kingdom Animalia
- Phylum Chordata
- Class Aves
- Order Phoenicopteriformes
- Family Phoenicopteridae
- Genus Phoenicopterus
- Species Phoenicopterus roseus
Classification follows the GBIF Backbone Taxonomy. Other reference works arrange some groups differently. How classification works.
Is it in danger?
The greater flamingo is listed as Least Concern. The species is widespread or numerous enough that it is not considered at risk of extinction at present.
This is the IUCN Red List category as recorded in Wikidata on 11 November 2026. The IUCN Red List itself is the authority and may carry a newer assessment. What the categories mean.