Description
James's Flamingo is smaller than the Andean Flamingo, and is about the same size as the Old World species, the Lesser Flamingo. A specimen of the bird was first collected by Charles Rahmer who was on a collecting expedition sponsored by Harry Berkley James after whom the bird was named. It measures about 3 feet (91 cm) long on average and weighs about 41⁄2 pounds (2.0 kg). The James's Flamingo have a very long neck that is made up of 19 long cervical vertebrae allowing for a lot of movement and rotation of the head. Their long thin legs also characterize them. The knee is not visible externally but is located at the top of the leg. The joint at the middle of the leg, which most assume to be the knee joint is actually the ankle joint. Its plumage is very pale pink, with bright carmine streaks around the neck and on the back. When perched a small amount of black can be seen in the wings, these are the flight feathers. There is bright red skin around the eyes, which are yellow in adults. The legs are brick red and the bill is bright yellow with a black tip. James's Flamingo is similar to other South American flamingos, but the Chilean Flamingo is pinker, with a longer bill without yellow, and the Andean Flamingo is larger with more black in the wings and bill, and yellow legs. The easiest method to distinguish James's flamingos is by the lighter feathers and the bright yellow on the bill. A good method to distinguish Phoenicoparrus from the other species is to look at the feet. In the other three species of flamingos the feet consist of three forward-facing toes and a hallux. The two species of Phoenicoparrus have the three toes but do not have a hallux.
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“The next Augustan age will dawn on the other side of the Atlantic. There will, perhaps, be a Thucydides at Boston, a Xenophon at New York, and, in time, a Virgil at Mexico, and a Newton at Peru. At last, some curious traveller from Lima will visit England and give a description of the ruins of St Paul’s, like the editions of Balbec and Palmyra.”
—Horace Walpole (1717–1797)
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