Greater Flamingo

Fascinating facts about the Greater Flamingo

• Three greater flamingos died in Sri Lanka's Mannar wetlands after their long necks were slashed by overhead power lines, not by electrocution. Their flight at dusk and dawn makes them especially prone to such collisions, a problem echoed worldwide, from India's salt pans to South Africa's wetlands, where hundreds have perished. This underscores the urgent need for bird-safe infrastructure, like underground cables or diverters, to protect these iconic migrants.
• Greater flamingos are the world's largest flamingo species, standing 110-150 cm tall and weighing 2-4 kg, with some individuals reaching 150 cm. Their pink plumage comes from carotenoids in the algae and crustaceans they filter from salty, alkaline waters (pH up to 11). By increasing uropygial gland secretions during breeding, they boost feather colour, essentially applying "make-up".
• At least 5,000 greater flamingos crowded Maharloo Lake in Iran during a brief cease-fire, making it the hottest breeding spot in the country. The war-induced lull in water extraction let the lake fill.

Sources

Every fact above was checked against these pages, and kept only where one of them states it.

• Mongabay
• Wikipedia
• Mongabay

At a glance

About the Greater Flamingo

As the sun rises over the shallow waters, the Greater Flamingo emerges, its slender neck stretched forth like a delicate brushstroke, its feathers a vibrant kaleidoscope of pinks and whites that seem to glow with an inner light. With stately elegance, it wades through the mudflats, its long legs moving in slow, deliberate strides, as if savoring every step, every ripple in the water. In this tranquil dance, the flamingo is a master of understated beauty, its very presence a testament to the serene and timeless rhythms of the natural world.

Greater Flamingo photographed on Feravox

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