Lesser Flamingos
The smallest of all Flamingos is the Lesser, and it is also the one that there is the most of. It is estimated that about 5 million of them reside in the world. They are found mainly in Africa and Asia, especially the India. They are also one of the most common types of Flamingos in captivity due to their ability to adapt well to such environments. They also interact well with other types of Flamingos so the zoo setting can have several types in one colony.
Anatomy[]
The Lesser Flamingo is about 3 feet tall and weighs only about 4 pounds. They are full grown in about 2 years and the males are usually much taller than the females. They tend to be light pink and white in color due to the types of food that they consume. It is rare that you will see them with very much red or orange coloring. They also have black tips of their feathers that you may not be able to see unless they have them opened up.
Feeding[]
A distinct feature is that they have black on the tip of their bill. This is designed to allow them to bend their head backwards and to feed through a filtering system. Their diet consists of blue and green algae, crustaceans, and a variety of small insects. They spend about 20% of their day feeding. While they don’t consume the same volume of food as other species, the fact that what they eat is so small takes up more of their time to complete the process.
Social Behavior[]
You will find some of the largest colonies of Flamingos to be made up of this particular species. They are known to be very noisy as some of the colonies have thousands of members in them. They are able to identify the sounds of their offspring and often form subgroups within the larger groups. They are excellent swimmers and can fly for long distances in a V formation. Another common way that the Lesser Flamingo interacts with others is to lift up the feathers to allow the black parts to be seen. Researchers aren’t quite sure what these types of interactions really mean. However, it is believed that they are calm and gentle in nature and not to show authority or to be threatening in any way. They use their sense of sight as much as their hearing so this presentation definitely has significant meaning within a colony.
Breeding[]
In Africa, where they are most numerous, the lesser flamingos breed principally on the highly caustic Lake Natron in northern Tanzania. Their other African breeding sites are at Etosha Pan, Sua Pan, and Kamfers Dam. The last confirmed breeding at Aftout es Saheli in coastal Mauritania was in 1965. Breeding occurred at Lake Magadi in Kenya in 1962 when Lake Natron was unsuitable due to flooding. In the early 20th century, breeding was also observed at Lake Nakuru.
The species also breeds in southwestern and southern Asia. In 1974, they bred at the Rann of Kutch, but since then, only at the Zinzuwadia and Purabcheria salt pans in northwestern India. Some movement of individuals occurs between Africa and India. Like all flamingos, they lay a single chalky-white egg on a mound they build of mud. Chicks join creches soon after hatching, sometimes numbering over 100,000 individuals. The creches are marshalled by a few adult birds that lead them by foot to fresh water, a journey that can reach over 20 mi (32 km).
Conservation[]
Despite being the most numerous species of flamingo, it is classified as near threatened due to its declining population and the low number of breeding sites, some of which are threatened by human activities. The population in the two key east African lakes, Nakuru and Bogoria, have been adversely affected in recent years by suspected heavy metal poisoning, while its primary African breeding area in Lake Natron is currently under threat by a proposed soda ash plant by Tata Chemicals. The only breeding site in South Africa, situated at Kamfers Dam, is threatened by pollution and encroaching development. The lesser flamingo is one of the species to which the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds applies.
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