Lesser Flamingo
Phoeniconaias minor
Lesser Flamingos are found in salty lakes and lagoons throughout sub-Saharan Africa, where they gather in large flocks. Although it is a relatively large bird, the Lesser Flamingo is the smallest of the six species of flamingo.
Their characteristic pink colour come from the food they eat. A Lesser Flamingo’s diet consists mainly of blue-green algae, and it is the pigments found in these algae that gives them.
Conservation
Although there are more Lesser Flamingos than any other species of flamingo, their global population is declining due to habitat degradation and disturbance. Because Lesser Flamingos breed regularly at only four sites around the world – in Botswana, India, Namibia, and Tanzania, they are especially vulnerable to any changes in these environments.
Did you know: Three quarters of all Lesser Flamingos breed at just one site, Lake Natron in Tanzania. their colour.
- Height:
- 80-90 cm
- Wingspan
- 90-105 cm
- Wingspan
- 90-105 cm
- Weight
- 1.2-2.7 kg
- Range
- Primarily East Africa. Smaller populations in Southern Africa. Mauritania/Senegal and NW India/Pakistan.
- Conservation status
- Near Threatened
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