Species profile
About the lesser flamingo
Lesser flamingos gather where alkaline water supports dense blooms of microscopic algae. Lake Natron’s caustic shallows and isolated salt islands protect one of the species’ most important breeding sites, while feeding flocks move between Rift Valley lakes as water and food conditions change.
Numbers at any one lake can vary dramatically, so a lake that is pink one month may hold far fewer birds later in the season.
Life in the wild
Behavior & relationships
Behavior
Feeds in shallow water by filtering algae with a specialised bill. Large flocks move, display and breed in synchrony when conditions permit.
Social life
Strongly colonial. Courtship occurs in coordinated groups and nesting colonies can contain enormous numbers of closely spaced birds.
What makes it remarkable
Special features
Specialised filter-feeding bill, exceptionally salt-tolerant feeding habits and colour derived from pigments in the diet.
