Editing Andean flamingo (section)

===Feeding===
These flamingos are [[filter feeder]]s and their diet ranges over the entire spectrum of available foods, from [[fish]] to invertebrates, from [[vascular plant]]s to microscopic [[algae]].<ref>Hurlbert, S. H. and C. C. Y. Chang (1983). "ORNITHOLIMNOLOGY - Effects of Grazing by the Andean Flamingo." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America-Biological Sciences 80(15): 4766-4769.</ref>

The flamingos feed from the bottom layer of the lake for small particles, mainly [[diatom]]s.<ref name=hurlbert1982>Hurlbert, S. H. 1982. "Limnological studies of flamingo diets and distribution." ''National Geographic Society Research Reports'' 14:351–356.</ref> They have a deep-keeled bill; the upper mandible is narrower than the lower, creating a gape on the [[Dorsum (anatomy)|dorsal]] surface of the bill.<ref>Mascitti, V. and F. O. Kravetz (2002). "Bill morphology of South American flamingos." Condor 104(1):73-83.</ref> The bill morphology facilitates feeding of diatoms through inertial impaction. This mechanism entails that food particles denser than water, such as diatoms, would impact the filtering surface in the bill, causing water to flow out of the mouth and leaving diatoms in the flamingo's bill.<ref name=hurlbert1982/> The flamingos forage in shallow salty waters for resources. They exhibit the most flexible [[foraging]] pattern compared to that of the Chilean and James's flamingos.<ref name=mascitti2006>Mascitti, V. and M. B. Castañera (2006). "Foraging Depth of flamingos in Single-Species and Mixed Species Flocks at Laguna de Pozuelos, Argentina." Waterbirds: The International Journal of Waterbird Biology 29(3): 328-334.</ref>

When grouping the Andean flamingos with [[Chilean flamingo]]s or [[James's flamingo]]s, Andean flamingos adopt the foraging patterns of the species with which it is grouped.<ref name=mascitti2006/> Thus, when grouped with Chilean flamingos, they use a moderate and deep foraging depth strategy more than or the same as expected. If they are grouped with James's flamingos, they adopt the edge and the shallow foraging strategy.<ref name=mascitti2006/> However, the overall foraging behavior of Andean flamingos remains unclear.<ref name=hurlbert1982/>