Los Flamencos National Reserve is a

nature reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or ...

located in the commune of San Pedro de Atacama, Antofagasta Region of northern

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...

. The reserve covers a total area of in the

Central Andean dry puna The Central Andean dry puna (NT1001) is an ecoregion in the Montane grasslands and shrublands biome, located in the Andean high plateau, in South America. It is a part of the Puna grassland. Setting This ecoregion occupies the southwestern portio ...

ecoregion An ecoregion (ecological region) or ecozone (ecological zone) is an ecologically and geographically defined area that is smaller than a bioregion, which in turn is smaller than a biogeographic realm. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of l ...

and consists of seven separate sections.

Climate

The reserve has a desert climate with the temperature varying dramatically between day (average temperature high is ) and night (average low is ). Rain is more frequent in summer, with an average high of 3 millimeters.

Sections

Salar de Tara – Salar de Aguas Calientes

This area is made up of two salt flats: Salar de Tara, located 120 kilometres east of San Pedro de Atacama and 440 kilometres northeast of Antofagasta, and Salar de Aguas Calientes, reaching an elevation of up to 4,860 meters above sea level.Earth Info, ''earth-info.nga.mil'' webpage: . In 1996, Salar de Tara was designated a Wetland of International Importance by the

Ramsar Convention The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance Especially as Waterfowl Habitat is an international treaty for the conservation and sustainable use of Ramsar sites (wetlands). It is also known as the Convention on Wetlands. It i ...

. It features both permanent and seasonal lakes. The largest of these is Tara Lake, which is fed by the Zapaleri River.Salar de Tara
Information Sheet on Ramsar Wetlands. Salar de Tara was formerly filled by an overflowing lake that covered of area and has left prominent shorelines, 24 of which are recognizable on the eastern side, as well as

river delta A river delta is a landform shaped like a triangle, created by deposition (geology), deposition of sediment that is carried by a river and enters slower-moving or stagnant water. This occurs where a river enters an ocean, sea, estuary, lake, res ...

s. ;Flora and fauna The flora is characterized by the presence of high elevation wetland, as well as yellow straw, broom sedge, tola de agua and tola amaia (two species of ''

parastrephia lepidophylla ''Parastrephia lepidophylla'', commonly known as tola or tola tola, is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae. It is native to South America and has been recorded from Argentina, Bolivia, Chile and Peru where it is characteristic ...

''), and coirón (''Festuca gracillima''), which can be observed on flat and hilly terrain and on the slopes of volcanoes and hills Salar de Tara provides a habitat for various rare and

endangered species An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and inv ...

of wildlife. Some, like the

southern viscacha The southern viscacha (''Lagidium viscacia'') is a species of viscacha, a rodent in the family Chinchillidae found in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, and Peru. It is a colonial animal living in small groups in rocky mountain areas. It has long ears an ...

, vicuña and

Darwin's rhea Darwin's rhea or the lesser rhea (''Rhea pennata'') is a large flightless bird, the smaller of the two extant species of rheas. It is found in the Altiplano and Patagonia in South America. Description The lesser rhea stands at tall. Length ...

, are classified as endangered species. Others, such as Andean goose, horned coot,

Andean gull The Andean gull (''Chroicocephalus serranus'') is a species of gull in the family Laridae. As is the case with many gulls, it has traditionally been placed in the genus ''Larus''. It is found in the Andes in mountainous regions of Argentina, Bol ...

puna tinamou The puna tinamou (''Tinamotis pentlandii'') also known as Pentland's tinamou, is a member of the most ancient groups of bird families, the tinamous. This species is native to southern South America.Clements, J. (2007) The binomial name of the spec ...

and the three flamingo species inhabiting in Chile (

Andean flamingo The Andean flamingo (''Phoenicoparrus andinus'') is a species of flamingo native to the Andes mountains of South America. Until 2014, it was classified in genus ''Phoenicopterus''. It is closely related to James's flamingo, and the two make up th ...

, Chilean flamingo, and James's flamingo) are considered vulnerable. The

conservation status The conservation status of a group of organisms (for instance, a species) indicates whether the group still exists and how likely the group is to become extinct in the near future. Many factors are taken into account when assessing conservation ...

of the

tawny tuco-tuco The tawny tuco-tuco (''Ctenomys fulvus'') is a species of burrowing rodent in the family Ctenomyidae. It is found in the desert regions of northern Chile and adjoining areas of Argentina. Description The tawny tuco-tuco grows to a length of , an ...

and the

Andean fox The culpeo (''Lycalopex culpaeus''), also known as culpeo zorro, Andean zorro, Andean fox, Paramo wolf, Andean wolf,Comparative ecology of two South American foxes, 'Dusicvon ariseus' and 'culpaeus' by Warren E. Johnson. Doctoral dissertation. Io ...

is unknown. The latter lives in all the sections of the reserve. Wind erosion features occur in this area. Chilean Flamingo at Los Flamencos National Reserve, Chile

Chilean Flamingo at Los Flamencos National Reserve, Chile

Salar de Pujsa

Salar de Pujsa is a salt flat located southwest of Salar de Tara, 83 kilometers from San Pedro de Atacama, and northeast of

Acamarachi __NOTOC__ Acamarachi (also known as ''Pili'') is a high volcano in northern Chile. In this part of Chile, it is the highest volcano. Its name means "black moon". It is a volcano in the Central Volcanic Zone of the Andes, a zone of strong volcani ...

volcano. With a maximum elevation of 4,585 metres above sea level, Pujsa is considered the most isolated section in the reserve. The salt flat receives the waters of the Quepiaco and Alitar creeks and was listed as a Ramsar site in 2009. Birds that migrate across the hemispheres use the salt flat and surrounding land as a staging area, including the

Wilson's phalarope Wilson's phalarope (''Phalaropus tricolor'') is a small wader. This bird, the largest of the phalaropes, breeds in the prairies of North America in western Canada and the western United States. It is migratory, wintering in inland salt lakes nea ...

The flora found here is similar to that found in the Tara and Aguas Calientes areas, characterized by high elevation wetland, yellow straw, broom sedge, tola de agua and tola amaia (two species of ''

''), and coirón (''Festuca gracillima''), which can be observed on flat and hilly terrain. The fauna includes

vizcacha Viscacha or vizcacha (, ) are rodents of two genera (''Lagidium'' and ''Lagostomus'') in the family Chinchillidae. They are native to South America and convergently resemble rabbits. The five extant species of viscacha are: *The plains vis ...

s, chululos,

es, cuyos,

s, Chilean flamingos, ñandúes, Andean condors and

eagle Eagle is the common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, some of which are closely related. Most of the 68 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, just ...

s, among others.

Miscanti and Miñiques Lagoons

A lava flow from an eruption of

Miñiques Miñiques is a massive volcanic complex containing a large number of craters, lava domes and flows, located in the Antofagasta Region of Chile. Located south of Volcán Chiliques and west of Cordón Puntas Negras, it is part of a frequentl ...

volcano separated

Laguna Miscanti Miscanti Lake (Spanish: ''Laguna Miscanti'') is a brackish water lake located in the altiplano of the Antofagasta Region in northern Chile. Cerro Miñiques volcano and Cerro Miscanti tower over this lake. This large heart-shaped lake has a deep ...

from . Located 25 kilometers south of Socaire, 115 kilometers southeast of San Pedro de Atacama and 431 kilometers east of Antofagasta, this area comprises Miscanti Lagoon and Miñiques Lagoon, situated in the foothills of Cerro Miscanti and the

Volcano. The lagoons are between 4,100 and 4,350 metres elevation. This section is close to

Salar de Talar Salar de Talar is a 46 square kilometres Laguna Lejía Laguna (Italian and Spanish for lagoon) may refer to: People * Abe Laguna (born 1992), American DJ known as Ookay * Andrés Laguna (1499–1559), Spanish physician, pharmacologist, and botanist * Ana Laguna (born 1955), Spanish-Swedish ballet dan ...

. This portion of the reserve is home to a variety of birds, including the

, Chilean flamingo, horned coot, silvery grebe,

and

greenish yellow finch The greenish yellow finch (''Sicalis olivascens'') is a species of bird in the family Thraupidae. It is found in the central Andes of Argentina, Bolivia, Chile and Peru. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical high-altitude shrubland ...

. Mammals include the vicuña,

, and

Darwin's leaf-eared mouse Darwin's leaf-eared mouse (''Phyllotis darwini'') is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. It has terrestrial habits and is endemic to coastal central and northern Chile. It is also found in the Atacama Desert The Atacama Desert ( e ...

Salar de Atacama

This area is formed by two sub-sections, Soncor and Quelana. Both comprise lagoons lying over the

Salar de Atacama Salar de Atacama is the largest salt flat in Chile. It is located south of San Pedro de Atacama, is surrounded by mountains, and has no drainage outlets. In the east it is enclosed by the main chain of the Andes, while to the west lies a secondar ...

, the largest salt flat in Chile at an elevation of 2,305 metres with an extensive salt crust.

Soncor section

The Soncor area includes the Chaxa, Puilar and Barros Negros lagoons. Despite the extreme conditions, the Salar de Atacama sustains a wide variety of species including Chilean and Andean flamingos (the latter using it as an important nesting site), the Andean avocet, the yellow-billed teal, the

crested duck The crested duck or South American crested duck (''Lophonetta specularioides'') is a species of duck native to South America, the belonging to the monotypic genus ''Lophonetta''. It is sometimes included in ''Anas'', but it belongs to a South Am ...

, the

puna plover The puna plover (''Charadrius alticola'') is a species of bird in subfamily Charadriinae of family Charadriidae. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, and Peru.HBW and BirdLife International (2022) Handbook of the Birds of the World and Bir ...

and Baird's sandpiper. Various plant species ground around the edges of the lagoons, such as '' Distichlis spicata'', '' Ephedra'' and cachiyuyo (a species of the

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

Atriplex ''Atriplex'' () is a plant genus of about 250 species, known by the common names of saltbush and orache (; also spelled orach). It belongs to the subfamily Chenopodioideae of the family Amaranthaceae ''s.l.''. The genus is quite variable and w ...

''), among others. The ''Sistema hidrológico de Soncor'' (Soncor hydrological system), like the Salar de Tara, is a Ramsar protected site. It comprises four shallow

salt lake A salt lake or saline lake is a landlocked body of water that has a concentration of salts (typically sodium chloride) and other dissolved minerals significantly higher than most lakes (often defined as at least three grams of salt per litre). ...

s.Soncor Basin
Information Sheet on Ramsar Wetlands.

Quelana section

Located 10 kilometres from the path to Chaxa lagoon, the Quelana section features extensive salt crust and saline mud. The terrain is flat with an average elevation of 2,300 metres.Visitchile.com lagunas Miscanti Miniques data sheet
www.visitchile.com retrieved June 07, 2013 It shares much of the same flora and fauna of the Soncor section, including the three species of flamingos present in Chile as well as

s, swallows, burrowing owls and geese.

Valle de la Luna

This section includes archaeological sites such as the village of Tulor as well as the Cordillera de la Sal mountain range, which reaches elevations of 2,624 metres. The range was formed by the sequential folding of an old salt lake that eventually dried and was forced upwards by the movement of

tectonic plate Plate tectonics (from the la, label=Late Latin, tectonicus, from the grc, τεκτονικός, lit=pertaining to building) is the generally accepted scientific theory that considers the Earth's lithosphere to comprise a number of large te ...

White-bellied fat-tailed mouse opossum The white-bellied fat-tailed mouse opossum (''Thylamys pallidior'') is a species of opossum in the family Didelphidae. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile and Peru. Taxonomy and etymology The white-bellied fat-tailed mouse opossum is a m ...

s can be found in this area.

Tambillo

This section is to the nearest to San Pedro de Atacama and is characterized by an extended

Tamarugo ''Prosopis tamarugo'', commonly known as the tamarugo, is a species of flowering tree in the pea family, Fabaceae, subfamilia Mimosoideae. It is only found in northern Chile, particularly in the Pampa del Tamarugal, some east of the city of Iq ...

forest (''Prosopis tamarugo'') of 370 hectares, which is unique in this region. Tambillo contains similar fauna to the other sections of the reserve, including the

, Chilean flamingo, horned coot, silvery grebe,

grey fox The gray fox (''Urocyon cinereoargenteus''), or grey fox, is an omnivorous mammal of the family Canidae, widespread throughout North America and Central America. This species and its only congener (biology), congener, the diminutive island fox ...

, chincol (''

Zonotrichia capensis The rufous-collared sparrow or Andean sparrow (''Zonotrichia capensis'') is an American sparrow found in a wide range of habitats, often near humans, from the extreme south-east of Mexico to Tierra del Fuego, and the island of Hispaniola (split ...

''), swallows, and falcons.

References

{{Authority control Ramsar sites in Chile National reserves of Chile Protected areas of Antofagasta Region Puna de Atacama