Flamingo Resource Centre

Natron community vows to protect the lake and its flamingos

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 23:27:00 +0000

Villagers around Tanzania's Lake Natron have vowed to protect the lake and its treasure of Lesser Flamingos Phoeniconaias minor from industrial development, pointing out that their own future depends on the sustainable use of the lake. BirdLife's Tanzanian Partner - the Wildlife Conservation Society of Tanzania (WCST) - has put forward an alternative to the environmentally destructive soda ash extraction plant proposed for the lake, calling instead for its unmatched tourism potential to be developed, and for the people of Lake Natron to be enabled to benefit from the income generated...

Lesser Flamingos have begun breeding on artificial breeding island in Kamfers Dam for third year in a row!

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 23:27:00 +0000

Academic warns flamingos face extinction in Turkish national park

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 23:27:00 +0000

A senior Turkish academic from Aegean University has warned that flamingos and Dalmatian pelicans face a risk of extinction in the bird national park in the western city of Izmir because of inadequate preservation measures. "The flamingos are becoming extinct in this national park that has harbored 245 species of birds and where 68 species of birds have incubated," said Professor Mehmet Siki, of the biology department within the Faculty of Science...

Lake Nakuru becomes Africa's first IBA-branded National Park

Mon, 12 Oct 2009 23:27:00 +0000

Lake Nakuru National Park, famous for its population of up to 1.5 million non-breeding Lesser Flamingo Phoenicopterus minor, has become the first National Park in Africa to be branded as an Important Bird Area (IBA). The branding is a triumph for BirdLife Partner NatureKenya, which began identifying IBAs within the country in 1995...

The flamingos of Inagua

Thu, 08 Oct 2009 23:27:00 +0000

With more than 60,000 flamingos and only about a thousand people some 380 miles southeast of Nassau, Inagua is probably the best place in the world to see these reclusive scarlet-feathered birds in their natural habitat. That habitat consists of the island's remote salt marshes. Described as an "immense watery prairie", Lake Rosa is a huge wetland that occupies much of the 184,000-acre Inagua National Park, which in 1965 became the second nature reserve assigned to the fledgling Bahamas National Trust...

Kenya's Lake Nakuru National Park Named Important Bird Area

Thu, 24 Sep 2009 23:27:00 +0000

Lake Nakuru National Park in central Kenya, internationally known for its concentration of bright pink flamingos, has been designated as an international bird sanctuary. It becomes the first national park in Africa to be recognized as an Important Bird Area under the international IBA program established by the UK-based global organization BirdLife International and its worldwide network of partners. At an event September 19 to mark the park's new status, Forestry and Wildlife Minister Noah Wekesa said Kenya is one of the leading countries in Africa for avian biodiversity...

Flamingo paradise becomes largest Andean Ramsar wetland

Tue, 22 Sep 2009 23:27:00 +0000

La Paz, Bolivia: Celebrations here yesterday marked the recognition of an area of southern Bolivia as a Wetland of international Importance (or Ramsar Site), the largest declared in South America's 7,000 km long Andes Mountains chain. The Los Lipez wetlands complex encompasses 23 high altitude lakes and lagoons as well as geothermal springs and flooded grasslands, known as "bofedales", which are unique to the southern Andes. It is located in the southern tip of Bolivia, and neighboring Chile and Argentina...

Greater Flamingo breeding site discovered in Abu Dhabi

Sun, 13 Sep 2009 23:27:00 +0000

WAM Abu Dhabi, 13th Sept. 2009 (WAM) : A new breeding colony of the Greater Flamingo was recently discovered by a team of biologists from the Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi (EAD). The colony was discovered within the 'Bu Al Siaief' Marine Protected Area, during a routine monitoring survey of the coastal areas west of Abu Dhabi Emirate. EAD regularly monitors important sites and key species such as flamingo to keep collecting data, to assess the current situation, and to develop a strategic plan to identify priorities for protection of species and important areas in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. "The discovery of this successful breeding colony is significant because flamingos have only bred twice in the UAE. The first time was almost a decade ago at Abu Dhabi's Al Wathba Wetland Reserve and the second time in Shahama," said H.E Majid al Mansouri, EAD's Secretary General...

The Crimson Wing is in UK cinemas nationwide from 25 September

Fri, 04 Sep 2009 23:27:00 +0000

It's rare these days for cinema to present audiences with something they've never seen before. But that's what Matthew Aeberhard, Leander Ward and Melanie Finn, co-directors and writer respectively of The Crimson Wing have managed to do. The first big screen nature documentary to be released by Disney in nearly 50 years, their film also marks the first time the lesser flamingos of northern Tanzania and their salt-saturated breeding grounds in Lake Natron in the Rift Valley have been featured in cinemas...

Government poised to ruin major flamingo nesting site?

Thu, 27 Aug 2009 23:27:00 +0000

Flamingos in the Lake Natron area of Ngorongoro District, Arusha Region will face a major threat if the government starts mining soda ash from the lake, a wildlife group has said. Three-quarters of the world's population of Lesser Flamingo live and breed in the area. Many depend on Lake Natron as a breeding site, according to the BirdLife International group. The Minister of State in the Vice President's Office responsible for environmental affairs, Dr Batilda Buriani, said an environmental impact assessment report is still being awaited before a final decision is made regarding the envisaged soda ash mining project...

Lake Natron faces renewed threat from soda-ash mining

Wed, 26 Aug 2009 23:27:00 +0000

BirdLife has learnt that a Tanzanian Government Agency is seeking to buy mining equipment for large-scale soda ash extraction from Lake Natron - the most important breeding site for Lesser Flamingo Phoeniconaias minor [Near Threatened] in the world. "This is worrying indeed", said Lota Melamari - the CEO of Wildlife Conservation Society of Tanzania (WCST-BirdLife in Tanzania)...

Why flamingos stand on one leg

Thu, 13 Aug 2009 23:27:00 +0000

It is one of the simplest, but most enigmatic mysteries of nature: just why do flamingoes like to stand on one leg? The question is asked by zoo visitors and biologists alike, but while numerous theories abound, no-one has yet provided a definitive explanation. Now after conducting an exhaustive study of captive Caribbean flamingoes, two scientists believe they finally have the answer...

Flamingo activist wins victory over government

Mon, 10 Aug 2009 23:27:00 +0000

Conservationist Mark Anderson has won his legal battle against the Northern Cape government which sought to discipline him even after he had resigned.

Lack of water threatens endangered flamingos

Mon, 20 Jul 2009 23:27:00 +0000

The Flamingo Andino is the most threatened of the six Flamingo species. It only nests along the shores of salt lakes in the deserts of northern Chile. Lets takes a look at the pink birds' living conditions and the problems threatening the endangered species. The remote salt lakes in South America's Andes mountains are home to half of the world's Flamingos species. The pink birds are well-suited for the extreme weather conditions. They can survive the high winds and temperatures ranging from minus 30 degrees Celsius in winter to up to 40 degrees Celsius in summer. The birds live as high as five-thousand meters above sea level, depending on the season and the availability of food. But some species are classified as "vulnerable" by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. Especially this one, Flamingo Andino...

North Carolina's first Lesser Flamingo hatches at Sylvan Heights Waterfowl Park

Sun, 19 Jul 2009 23:27:00 +0000

Sylvan Heights Waterfowl Park hatched its first Lesser Flamingo Chick on May 3 and the long-legged pink parents are very proud. Lesser Flamingos are considered particularly difficult to breed in captivity and only two other facilities in the world have hatched chicks in recent years. To overcome the challenges in breeding this species, Park General Curator Brad Hazelton designed and built a facility specifically for these flamingos - stocked with clay for nest-building and mirrors lining the inside walls. In the wild, Lesser Flamingos flock together in groups that can exceed one million birds. The mirrors create the illusion of a large flock of flamingos to stimulate the bird's breeding instinct...

Over 12,000 Lesser Flamingo chicks hatched on artificial breeding island in Kamfers Dam, Kimberley, South Africa!!

Fri, 19 Jun 2009 23:27:00 +0000

Six flamingo chicks hatch at Johannesburg Zoo

Fri, 19 Jun 2009 23:27:00 +0000

More than 26 babies have been born at the Johannesburg Zoo in recent months, signalling a milestone for the reserve, which prides itself on every birth. It's a lazy day at the Joburg Zoo for the baby buffalo The births also contribute to scientific research, education, recreation and conservation. Of the recent ones, two are particularly noteworthy - that of a Cape buffalo and of an nyala, born on 17 and 19 May, respectively. Other newborns include six flamingo chicks, six bushbucks, four female sable antelopes, a waterbuck, a West African pygmy goat, an axis deer, a scarlet ibis, a common barn owl, a scimitar-horned oryx, an African porcupine and a pintail Bahama, which is a species of duck...

Flamingos arrive three months early in Ajmer

Thu, 18 Jun 2009 23:27:00 +0000

The winter residents of Ajmer, the flamingos, have come in early this time. With monsoon still to arrive in the desert state, the birds from North Asia and Europe that come to this part of the world to beat the minus zero temperatures in their native place, have surprised everyone with this early visit...

Water treatment plant to help reduce pollution in Lake Tuz

Tue, 16 Jun 2009 23:27:00 +0000

A wastewater treatment plant in the Central Anatolian province of Konya will soon start working at full capacity, leading to the reduction of pollution in Lake Tuz...

Sustainable aquaculture at Veta la Palma promotes flamingo conservation

Mon, 15 Jun 2009 23:27:00 +0000

It is rare for a farmer to appreciate the predators that eat the animals he raises. But Miguel Medialdea is hardly an ordinary farmer. Looking out on to the carpet of flamingos that covers one of the lagoons that make up Veta la Palma, the fish farm in southern Spain where he is biologist, Medialdea shrugs. "They take about 20% of our annuel yield," he says, pointing at a blush-colored bird as it scoops up a sea bass. "But that just shows the whole system is working"...

2000 Andean Flamingo eggs abandoned in the Atacama Desert

Thu, 04 Jun 2009 23:27:00 +0000

First, in late March the bodies of about 1,200 penguins were found on a remote beach in southern Chile. Next came the sardines, millions of them, washed up dead on a nearby stretch of coastline in April, causing a stench so noxious that nearby schools were closed and the army was called in to shovel piles of rotting fish off the sand. Then it was the turn of the rare Andean flamingos. Over the course of approximately three months, thousands of them abandoned their nests on a salt lake in the Atacama Desert in the far north of Chile. Their eggs failed to hatch, and all 2,000 chicks died in their shells. Finally, in late May came the pelicans, nearly 60 of them, found dead on the central Chilean coast...

The mysterious Rann of Kutch

Tue, 02 Jun 2009 23:27:00 +0000

I had always heard talk of the Rann of Kutch in conservation circles as this mysterious, no mans land on the border with India, a salt marsh land teaming with un-disturbed wildlife (non military personnel are not allowed into this area). Legend has it that this salty lowland is a resting site for migratory birds from Siberia, and a winter home for pink flamingos. What an amazing sight that would be, to see hundreds of pink flamingos. With these exotic thoughts in mind, I headed towards the border area to a forest near Badin in Sindh, located just on the edge of the Rann of Kutch...

High Andes wetland home of Andean flamingos protected

Wed, 27 May 2009 23:27:00 +0000

Declaration of the high Andes home to two of the three species of Andean flamingos marks WWFs delivery of a pledge to deliver 100 million hectares of new protected wetlands in a decade. Fittingly, the 3000 to 7000 metre high Lagunas Altoandinas y Punenas de Catamarca in north west Argentina is the highest area to be declared a wetland of international importance under the International Convention on Wetlands (Ramsar Convention)...

New photo album: Lesser Flamingos in Mumbai, India

Sun, 26 Apr 2009 23:27:00 +0000

Three images of juvenile, sub-adult and adult Lesser Flamingos in Sewri, Mumbai, India.

Today´s Grey Hope for Tomorrow´s Pink: Lesser Flamingos return to Sewri in Mumbai, India

Sun, 26 Apr 2009 22:16:00 +0000

On 19 Apr 2009, high tide (11.68 ft) was at 08.57 AM. After about ten visits to Sewri Jetty from January 2009, there was an unbelievable sight, giving us the sigh of relief that flamingos had once again covered the Sewri mudflat. From Sewri Jetty to the Mahul area, flamingos were everywhere up to the horizon. The Sewri mud flat was full of flamingoes (juveniles, sub-adults and adults), feeding continuously on the mud flats. Today´s scene revived our memories of 2005.

Officials vow to block soda ash factory

Mon, 20 Apr 2009 20:57:00 +0000

Conservation activists vowed to continue opposing to the soda ash plant on Lake Natron due to anticipated risks to ecology. They said the proposed plant would not only threaten the lesser flamingo habitat but also tourism sector. The Government through the National Development Corporation (NDC) planned to construct a plant for soda ash near the lake. Stakeholders opposed the multi-million dollar project when an assessment report was presented to National Environment Management Council (NEMC). Since then, the Government has not made clear its decision on the matter...

Greater Flamingos head home as summer sets in

Mon, 20 Apr 2009 20:35:00 +0000

As temperature soars, hundreds of migratory birds that have been enjoying the pleasant weather for the last several months are bidding adieu to Qatar. The different nestling areas within Qatar have been receiving birds in huge flocks since the last week of November. Greater flamingos formed the biggest group among the special visitors...

Flamingo island appeal falls on deaf ears

Tue, 14 Apr 2009 12:50:00 +0000

Appeals against the controversial Northgate development next to the artificial flamingo breeding island in the Kamfers Dam in Kimberley have been dismissed...

18 full-text flamingo articles from Waterbirds Around the World

Mon, 6 Apr 2009 11:59:00 +0000

Index page and links to 18 full-text articles from Waterbirds Around the World ahve been added to the Flamingo Resource Centre - Literature section.

Proposed Mwambani port related to plans to build a soda-ash extraction plant at Lake Natron

Fri, 3 Apr 2009 09:32:00 +0000

ENVIRONMENTALISTS, economists, ports experts and business people say the proposed new Tanzania Ports Authority (TPA) port at Mwambani Bay in Tanga Region is not only environmentally, but also economically non-viable, as it is based on exaggerated and unrealistic traffic forecasts, including one related to plans to build a soda-ash extraction plant 500 kilometres away on the shores of Lake Natron...

Water purification plant opens at Lake Tuz in Turkey

Thu, 26 Mar 2009 19:19:02 +0000

Completion of a water treatment plant constructed by the Konya Metropolitan Municipality is good news for Lake Tuz, which in recent years has shown alarming signs of environmental decay due to wastewater and drought...

Bundala biodiversity affected: ornithologists say flamingo numbers have decreased this year

Mon, 16 Mar 2009 19:19:02 +0000

The Bundala National Park, home to a staggering number of fauna and flora faces a severe environment problem due to irresponsible human actions there according to researchers attached to the World Conservation Union (IUCN). Some environmentalists said Bundala which was a paradise to the migrant flamingo species is now in danger of losing the attraction. Ornithologists confirmed the presence of flamingo species had decreased this year. However, said it is too soon to spell out the obvious reasons for the decline...

Sign a petition to help protect 50,000 flamingos in South Africa

Fri, 13 Mar 2009 19:19:02 +0000

Readers can view breeding flamingos and then complete the petition and bring some real pressure to bear to save flamingos in the worlds latest breeding colony.

New link to flamingo photos by Mark Anderson

Wed, 11 Mar 2009 22:37:00 +0000

Over 90 images of Greater and Lesser Flamingos taken by Mark D Anderson

15 flamingos illegally shot at Ramsar wetland in Greece

Wed, 11 Mar 2009 19:19:02 +0000

A leading local bird association denounced Tuesday the killing by hunters of 15 pink flamingos in a protected wetlands area in western Greece. "Once again, the massive slaughter of 15 pink flamingos during the month of February underscores the total lack of protection" in the Gulf of Amvrakikos, the Hellenic Ornithological Society said in a statement. One of the largest lagoons in the Mediterranean region, the Gulf of Amvrakikos is among 10 wetlands protected by the 1971 Convention on Wetlands to which Greece is a signatory. The area has been blacklisted by the international convention since 2007 for lack of adequate environmental protection. In 2005, the European Court of Justice also condemned Greece on the same grounds.

Bombay Natural History Society opens bird migration study centre at Point Calimere

Mon, 23 Feb 2009 16:01:02 +0000

In an effort to restore the habitat of Point Calimere sanctuary from degradation, the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) opened a bird migration study centre on Sunday. BNHS will work in association with the state forest department, the local industries, mainly salt, and the fishing community, through a multi-pronged strategy, for revival of the eco-system, a major shorebird habitat...

New photo albums featuring flamingos in South America

Sun, 22 Feb 2009 13:59:30 +0000

Photos include flamingos at Laguna Colorada, Bolivia; Laguna Pozuelos, Argentina; and Salar de Surire, Chile.

Are Lake Natron's flamingos on the edge of extinction?

Wed, 18 Feb 2009 10:21:51 +0000

Why should anyone care about a bunch of flamingos nesting in some obscure lake in Tanzania? Why should it matter that a chemical company wants to build a soda extraction plant at or near their only nesting site forcing the birds into extinction? It should matter because the door will slam shut on the balance of nature...

A hypothetical husbandry point system for breeding flamingos in captivity

Fri, 13 Feb 2009 09:04:00 +0000

The concept of a point system as a tool to enable managers of captive flamingos to evaluate their enclosures and colonies regarding important elements in flamingo breeding is explained here. It is clear that no single factor is absolutely essential to breeding; rather it seems the affect of individual factors is cumulative, and once a certain level of requirements is met breeding will occur, while values above that level increase breeding success..

The potential contribution of captive flamingos to research

Fri, 13 Feb 2009 09:01:05 +0000

Investigations on topics such as flamingo behavior, physiology and reproduction are often more easily carried out in zoological settings than in the field, as illustrated in this article. Field and zoo researchers would benefit from closer collaboration in identifying potential research contributions of captive flamingos and in conducting relevant studies.

BirdLife dismisses claims that Kimberley residents will eat Kamfers Dams Lesser Flamingos

Sat, 7 Feb 2009 21:03:11 +0000

Birdlife SA has dismissed controversial statements by a Kimberley residents' group that impoverished locals will resort to eating the town's famous lesser flamingos if a contentious multibillion-rand housing development does not go ahead soon...

Kimberley residents threaten to eat Lesser Flamingos if development doesn't go ahead

Tue, 3 Feb 2009 23:15:51 +0000

Desperate Roodepan residents have threatened to make flamingo spit braais and fry flamingo fillets, in an attempt to get a housing development up and running...