Description

Long considered as two subspecies (Phœnicopterus ruber ruber and Phœnicopterus ruber roseus) of the same species, the Greater Flamingos of the Caribbean region and those of the Old World are now (since 2002) accepted as two species in their own right, the Greater Flamingo (Phœnicopterus roseus) in Africa, Europe and Asia and the Caribbean Flamingo in the Americas. This bird is a real curiosity of European avifauna with a silhouette and colourations that are unique on the continent: it is the only species of phoeniciptera (flamingo family) represented in Europe.