Phoeniconaias

Phoeniconaias is a genus of flamingos, family Phoenicopteridae, order Phoenicopteriformes, established by the English zoologist George Robert Gray in 1869, containing one living species, the lesser flamingo, Phoeniconaias minor, as its type species, along with one extinct species known from Australia's Pliocene. The lesser flamingo is the smallest living flamingo species and occurs in sub-Saharan Africa and western India, with major populations recorded at sites such as Lake Nakuru in Kenya. The extinct Australian species is thought to have been even smaller than its living relative. In practical terms Phoeniconaias is a monotypic genus among living birds, representing one distinct branch within the flamingo family alongside the larger genus Phoenicopterus.