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The Greater Flamingo (Phoenicopterus roseus) is a bird found in Spain, France, Portugal, India, South Africa, United Arab Emirates, and 2 more countries. Shallow salty lakes and lagoons in Africa, southern Europe and Asia. It eats insects and other small invertebrates, seeds and nuts and leaves and other plant parts. The IUCN Red List lists it as Least Concern.

🏡 Where the Greater Flamingo lives

Shallow salty lakes and lagoons in Africa, southern Europe and Asia.

🍽️ What it eats

• 🐛 Insects & bugs50%
• 🌰 Seeds & nuts20%
• 🌿 Leaves & plants20%
• 🐟 Fish10%

A rough guide to its diet over a year. Source: EltonTraits (Wilman et al. 2014).

Conservation status

Hear the Greater Flamingo

Recorded by David Darrell-Lambert (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0), xeno-canto XC1186971. Trimmed to a few seconds.

Questions about the Greater Flamingo

Where does the Greater Flamingo live?

The Greater Flamingo lives in Spain, France, Portugal, India, South Africa, United Arab Emirates, and 2 more countries. Shallow salty lakes and lagoons in Africa, southern Europe and Asia.

What does the Greater Flamingo eat?

insects and other small invertebrates (about 50%), seeds and nuts (about 20%), leaves and other plant parts (about 20%), fish (about 10%). These are rough shares of its diet over a year, from the EltonTraits database.

Is the Greater Flamingo endangered?

There are plenty of these birds. Its IUCN Red List category is Least Concern.

More birds from Africa

• Jackal buzzard
• African red-eyed bulbul
• Lesser swamp warbler
• Cape crow
• Bateleur
• African penguin

Sources: IUCN Red List (via Wikidata), EltonTraits 1.0 (Wilman et al. 2014), GBIF sightings for countries, Wikipedia. Last updated 2026-10-19.