A species that paints a striking picture against the landscape of its habitat with its vibrant pink and crimson plumage and stilt-like legs. As the smallest species in the flamingo family, Lesser Flamingos exhibit a delicate beauty, but their resilience and adaptability to some of the most challenging environments are truly remarkable.
Lesser Flamingos prefer habitats with high alkalinity, such as lagoons and salty lakes, where they can feed on their primary diet of algae and diatoms that thrive in these conditions. The high salinity of these habitats is inhospitable to most predators, providing the flamingos with a safe breeding ground. Males, slightly larger than females, play a role in the selection of nesting sites and participate in nest building, which is done by mounding up mud to keep their eggs above the caustic water.
Non-breeding Lesser Flamingos can often be found in more varied environments, including coastal mudflats, man-made saltworks, and sewage treatment works, which offer abundant food sources. They are a nomadic species capable of traveling great distances across continents in search of food and optimal breeding sites. Their range extends across Africa and into parts of southern Asia, including India, Pakistan, and even the Middle East, demonstrating their wide ecological niche.
The mating rituals of the Lesser Flamingo are a sight to behold. Courtship is a year-round spectacle where birds gather in groups, ranging from a handful to several thousand, and engage in synchronized displays. They perform a march, where they stride together in one direction, then switch and march the opposite way, all while honking, head-flagging, and flapping their wings in a coordinated dance that reinforces social bonds and stimulates breeding readiness.
One of the most spectacular gatherings of Lesser Flamingos occurs in Tanzania, where they congregate in the hundreds of thousands, sometimes even millions, at lakes such as Lake Natron. This congregation is not only one of the largest of any flamingo species in the world but also one of the most breathtaking wildlife spectacles on the planet.
Distribution
Afghanistan
Angola
Botswana
Burundi
Cameroon
Chad
Comoros
DR Congo (Kinshasa)
Djibouti
Egypt
Eritrea
Eswatini
Ethiopia
Gabon
Gambia
Ghana
Guinea-Bissau
Guinea
India
Iran
Kenya
Lesotho
Madagascar
Malawi
Mauritania
Mauritius
Morocco
Mozambique
Namibia
Niger
Nigeria
Oman
Pakistan
Rwanda
Réunion
Saudi Arabia
Senegal
Sierra Leone
Somalia
South Africa
Spain
Sri Lanka
Sudan
São Tomé & Príncipe
Tanzania
UAE
Uganda
Yemen
Zambia
ZimbabweAnything we've missed?
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Terrestrial / Aquatic
Altricial / Precocial
Polygamous / Monogamous
Dimorphic (size) / Monomorphic
Active: Diurnal / Nocturnal
Social behavior: Solitary / Pack / Herd / Flock
Diet: Carnivore / Herbivore / Omnivore / Piscivorous / Insectivore
Migratory: Yes / No
Domesticated: Yes / No
Dangerous: Yes / No
