James's Flamingo Identification Guide

Key Field Marks

• Size & shape: The smallest of the three high-Andean flamingo species, standing roughly 90 cm tall, noticeably more compact than Chilean or Andean Flamingos.
• Plumage: Very pale pink to whitish body plumage overall, with a bright carmine-red stripe across the wing coverts (visible at rest and conspicuous in flight) and black flight feathers.
• Bill: Short, deep-based bill that is mostly black, with only a small amount of yellow to orange-yellow restricted to the base — this is the single best mark separating it from Andean Flamingo.
• Legs: Brick-red to brownish-orange legs and feet, unlike the yellow legs of the Andean Flamingo or the gray legs with pink joints of the Chilean Flamingo.
• Face: A narrow red ring of bare skin around the eye.

Separating It From Similar Species

• Andean Flamingo: Larger, with bright yellow legs and a bill that is mostly yellow with only the tip black (opposite pattern from James's).
• Chilean Flamingo: Larger still, with gray legs showing pink "knee" joints, and a bill that is pale with a black tip.
• Flock composition often helps — James's Flamingo frequently occurs in large single-species flocks on remote high-altitude salt lakes, though mixed flamingo flocks do occur at shared feeding sites.

Where & When to See One

James's Flamingo (also called the Puna Flamingo) breeds and feeds on shallow, saline and brackish high-Andean lakes and salars in Peru, Bolivia, Chile, and northwest Argentina, typically at elevations of 3,500–4,500 m. It is largely resident but shifts between lakes seasonally in response to water levels and food (diatoms and algae). Best viewed at well-known high-altitude salt flats and lagoons in the Andean altiplano.

Voice

Gives low, nasal honking and cackling calls, especially in flight or when flocks interact — generally quieter and higher-pitched than the calls of the larger Chilean Flamingo.