The smiles on the faces of Iman Ebrahimi and his colleagues in the photograph are revealing: After more than a month of war in Iran, a tenuous ceasefire in mid-April offered a brief window for the team to travel to one of Ebrahimi’s favorite field sites. Maharloo Lake is the “hottest spot for flamingo breeding […]
Tag: Phoenicopterus roseus
Rare and unusual birds seen in Saudi Arabia in second half of 2016
A pair of Greater Flamingo Phoenicopterus roseus with two recently hatch young, 12 August, were the first record of breeding for the species in the Kingdom. An unprecedented influx of Eurasian Bittern Botaurus stellaris were seen with fifteen 30 kilometers east of Zulfi 8 November, six together 40 kilometers north of Zulfi 11 November and […]
The Greater Flamingo
Pont de Gau is a 60 hectares bird sanctuary set in Camargue, south of France, where a breeding colony of several thousands of these flamingos remain year round, among which about 200 hundred individuals have rings. Close to the american version, it is the largest. They have a very long lifespan easily reaching over 60 […]
Blue and Green = Pink?
Blue-green algae and brine shrimp form a major part of the Greater Flamingo‘s (Phoenicopterus roseus) diet and are rich in carotenoids. These carotenoids are broken down into pigments which give the pink coloration to the feathers, bill and legs of the flamingo. Obviously, these guys are working off a different colour wheel than the rest […]