First documented record of the Puna Flamingo (Phoenicoparrus jamesi, Phoenicopteriformes: Phoenicopteridae) in Santiago del Estero, Argentina

Abstract

In Argentina the Phoenicopteridae family is represented by the Chilean Flamingo (Phoenicopterus chilensis) with a wide geographical distribution, the Andean Flamingo (Phoenicoparrus andinus) and the Puna Flamingo (Phoenicoparrus jamesi), that inhabit the Puna and High Andes during the breeding season, moving to wetlands in the center of the country in the post-productive period. This last species has records in ten Argentine provinces, inhabiting lakes and brackish lagoons at 3,500 to 4,000
meters above sea level, where it reproduces. During a visit to a lagoon in the center-west of Santiago del Estero, we recorded nine individuals of this species along with other aquatic and wetland birds. This record represents the first documented for this province and could be related to temporary displacements that they make towards lower heights during the winter, since in Laguna de Mar Chiquita and Bañados del Río Dulce (Córdoba) they are usually observed in large numbers at that time of the year.