Flamingos or flamingoes[a] /fləˈmɪŋɡoʊz/ are a type of wading bird in the family Phoenicopteridae, which is the only extant family in the order Phoenicopteriformes. There are four flamingo species distributed throughout the Americas (including the Caribbean), and two species native to Afro-Eurasia.

Flamingos

Temporal range: 25–0 Ma 

PreꞒ

Ꞓ

O

S

D

C

P

T

J

K

Pg

N

Late Oligocene – Recent

James's flamingos (P. jamesi)Scientific classificationKingdom:AnimaliaPhylum:ChordataClass:AvesOrder:PhoenicopteriformesFamily:Phoenicopteridae
Bonaparte, 1831Genera

†Elornis?

†Harrisonarvis

†Leakeyornis

†Phoeniconotius

Phoenicopterus[1]

Phoeniconaias

Phoenicoparrus

†Xenorhynchopsis

Global distribution of flamingos

A group of flamingoes is called a "flamboyance."[2]

Etymology

Captive American flamingos feeding

The name flamingo comes from Portuguese or Spanish flamengo ("flame-colored"), which in turn comes from Provençal flamenc – a combination of flama ("flame") and a Germanic-like suffix -ing. The word may also have been influenced by the Spanish ethnonym flamenco ("Fleming" or "Flemish"). The name of the genus, Phoenicopterus, is from the Greek φοινικόπτερος phoinikopteros, lit. 'crimson/red-feathered');[3] other genera names include Phoeniconaias, which means "crimson/red water nymph (or naiad)", and Phoenicoparrus, which means "crimson/red bird (though, an unknown bird of omen)".

Taxonomy and systematics

The family Phoenicopteridae was introduced by the French zoologist Charles Lucien Bonaparte in 1831, with Phoenicopterus as the type genus.[4][5]

Traditionally, the long-legged Ciconiiformes, probably a paraphyletic assemblage, have been considered the flamingos' closest relatives and the family was included in the order. Usually, the ibises and spoonbills of the Threskiornithidae were considered their closest relatives within this order. Earlier genetic studies, such as those of Charles Sibley and colleagues, also supported this relationship.[6] Relationships to the waterfowl were considered as well,[7] especially as flamingos are parasitized by feather lice of the genus Anaticola, which are otherwise exclusively found on ducks and geese.[8] The peculiar presbyornithids were used to argue for a close relationship between flamingos, waterfowl, and waders.[9] A 2002 paper concluded they are waterfowl,[10] but a 2014 comprehensive study of bird orders found that flamingos and grebes are not waterfowl, but rather are part of Columbea, along with doves, sandgrouse, and mesites.[11]

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