The Caribbean flamingo is easily distinguished from the common flamingo and the Chilean flamingo by the bright red of its plumage.

It inhabits salt lagoons, litoral and supralittoral ecosystems, that is, the tallest part of coastal lines, not constantly submerged but splashed regularly and filled with sea water when the tides move.

Flamingos do not eat with the beak facing forward, but rather facing down. They are filter feeders. They stir the water with their legs and they scoop it with the beak. The suspended particles in the water are filtered through specialized plates on the tongue and the water is expelled from the beak as it pushes forward, retaining the food items.