Bird Album
Lesser Flamingo
Phoeniconaias minor (Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, É, 1798)
1.5 kgWeight
The lesser flamingo (Phoeniconaias minor) is a species of flamingo occurring in sub-Saharan Africa and western India.
Busiest months: September–November · Most records: South Africa, Kenya, Tanzania
Where and when it's recorded
Lesser Flamingo has been recorded at 215 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 31 countries and regions.
Records by month Southern Hemisphere
Where it's recorded most
- Lake Nakuru NPKenya1,829 records
- Strandfontein WTPSouth Africa1,732 records
- Ngorongoro Conservation Area – Ngorongoro CraterTanzania1,330 records
More places
- Bhandup Pumping StationIndia835 records
- Amboseli NPKenya813 records
- Walvis Bay – Lagoon PromenadeNamibia683 records
- West Coast NP – Geelbek hides vicinitySouth Africa608 records
- Walvis Bay Salt PansNamibia583 records
- West Coast NPSouth Africa582 records
- Arusha NPTanzania580 records
Countries and regions with the most records
eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.
About
The lesser flamingo (Phoeniconaias minor) is a species of flamingo occurring in sub-Saharan Africa and western India. Birds are occasionally reported from farther north, but these are generally considered vagrants.
Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia
Questions
How big is the Lesser Flamingo?
The Lesser Flamingo weighs around 1.5 kg.
Where does the Lesser Flamingo live?
Its breeding range: Africa, Oriental: eastern Africa, Namibia, Botswana to Mauritania and Senegal; northwestern India and southeastern Pakistan. It is most often recorded in South Africa, Kenya and Tanzania.
When is the best time to see the Lesser Flamingo?
At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in September, October and November (Southern Hemisphere).
Is the Lesser Flamingo endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the Lesser Flamingo as Near Threatened.
What does the Lesser Flamingo eat?
Main food: Aquatic plants.
What family is the Lesser Flamingo in?
It belongs to the family Flamingos (Phoenicopteridae), order Phoenicopteriformes.
At a glance
- Weight
- 1.5 kg
- Habitat
- Wetland
- Diet
- Aquatic plants
- Lifestyle
- Active on the ground
- Migration
- Resident (barely migrates)
- Conservation
- Near Threatened
More measurements
- Wing
- 318 mm
- Tail
- 100 mm
- Bill
- 99 mm
- Tarsus
- 190 mm
Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.
Range
Africa, Oriental: eastern Africa, Namibia, Botswana to Mauritania and Senegal; northwestern India and southeastern Pakistan
Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2
Classification
- Order
- Phoenicopteriformes
- Family
- Flamingos Phoenicopteridae
- Genus
- Phoeniconaias
More from the family Flamingos
Greater FlamingoPhoenicopterus roseus
American FlamingoPhoenicopterus ruber
Chilean FlamingoPhoenicopterus chilensis
Andean FlamingoPhoenicoparrus andinus
James's FlamingoPhoenicoparrus jamesi
Download illustration
Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by Uday Agashe. ↗
Heard it but can't see it? Mingji identifies birds by sound and photo, on your phone.