We have a lot of fantastic birds in India and some of them are so big, that they catch our eyes…
Recently I spoke with Dr. Girish Jathar, senior ornithologist with BNHS (Bombay Natural History Society). Our discussion about Flamingos turned out to be full of latest information that is being discovered.
Flamingos are birds related to wading birds such as cranes, storks, herons, and grebes. They are known for their larger-than-head pink and black bill, tall pinkish legs, long whitish neck, white body and signature pinkish-red colour under their wings, which is seen when they are in flight. That pinkish-red colour looks like flame when the bird is in flight, hence has the name flamingo.
Flamingo usually stands on one leg. This behavior is not fully understood, but a theory says that the posture helps flamingos conserve energy because - unlike humans - they don’t need any muscular energy to balance themselves. The biggest flamingo species, greater flamingo, grows 3.9 to 4.7 feet and weighs up to 3.5 k.g.; and smallest flamingo species, lesser flamingo, grows up to 2.6 feet and weighs up to 2.5 k.g.
There are six species of flamingos. Three of them are found in tropical region and three species live in temperate region of South America. Six species are;
- American flamingo
- Chilean flamingo
- Andean flamingo
- Greater flamingo
- Lesser flamingo
- James’s flamingo
Chilean, Andean and James’s flamingos are found in temperate region of South America. American flamingos are mainly found in Caribbean region. Greater and Lesser flamingos are mostly found from Southern Europe, all the way to South Asia through Africa, Madagascar and Middle-East Asia. These two species of flamingos are most widespread and also one that live in India.
Greater and Lesser Flamingos live in warm and tropical regions. They are seen all over India, but their only confirmed breeding site is at Rann of Kutch, Gujarat. Their habitats are wetlands. You will see flamingos at all major wetlands. Most famous sites are Bhigwan, Pune; Sewri Mudflats, Mumbai; Chilika Lake, Odisa; Flamingo City (Flamingo Breeding Site), Rann of Kutch, Gujarat; Okhla Bird Sanctuary, Noida; Dhanauri Wetlands, Uttar Pradesh; Pulicat Lake, Andhra Pradesh – Tamil nadu. There are a lot more famous and not-so-famous wetlands in India where flamingos live. Their main diet is algae and crustaceans. Algae are type of bacterias that live on suface of almost any water body. These bacterias get energy from photosynthesis; through sunlight, inhaling carbon dioxide and exhaling oxygen. Crustaceans are creatures with exoskeleton (skeleton outside body); such as crabs, shrimps, krills, lobsters, prawns, etc.
Overgrowth of algae results in death and rotting, which can affect their oxygen production. Overgrowth of crustaceans (which have diet of algae), result in undergrowth of algae which can again affect their oxygen production. Flamingos work as controller of these species.
Flamingos are big birds. When their location doesn’t have enough food, or suitable climate, they move to other wetland. They don’t have any typical seasons of migration. They don’t have any migration patterns such as latitudinal (north-south) or longitudinal (east-west) migration. We don’t have any data of flamingos migrating only between two places. This uncertain behavior of migration is known as erratic migration.
Most important fact is that we do not have any data supporting that flamingos visit us from foreign countries. If you read anywhere that ‘foreign guests have arrived’, well, it is not true every time. There is a flamingo, ring tagged by BNHS in Mumbai, that was reported in Iran. This doesn’t mean flamingos come here from Iran, or all flamingos fly there from here. Other flamingos ring tagged in Mumbai have been reported in various wetlands within India. Mostly flamingos migrate locally. They will migrate to Bhigwan, from there they will fly to Chilika lake, from there to Pulicat Lake, wherever they get enough food and good climate.
Greater and Lesser Flamingos are not foreign species to India. They work as regulator in the food chain. They have been around for long time and they have particular ecosystem around them.
We are still getting to know these birds. Their erratic behavior makes it difficult to make any assumptions about them. BNHS and State Government are working together to study their movements and ecosystem. In coming years, we might get some more exciting facts to discuss about.
- Shantanu Shinde
(Writer, Nature Enthusiast, Bird Watcher, Stop Motion Animator, Graphic Designer, Illustrator)
Mob. No: +917887881031
Email: s@infogelic.com
Web: infogelic.com
This blog was made with help of Dr. Girish Jathar, senior ornithologist at BNHS; and internet for correct spellings.
Images: Wikipedia
