Flamingo : State Bird

Flamingos are one of the most beautiful waterbirds belonging to the order Phoenicopteriformes and to the family Phoenicopteridae. They are one of the oldest bird-groups alive today. Long legs and a long, curved neck are the characteristics of all flamingo species. They have a short tail, large wings, a pink or maroon color and webbed feet. Their beak is curved down and lamellated, finely adapted for their feeding habits.

There are six species of flamingos in the world, of which two species occur in India viz.-Greater Flamingo (Phoenicopterus roseus) and the Lesser Flamingo (Phoeniconaias minor) The other species are Caribbean Flamingo (Phoenicopterus ruber), the Chilean Flamingo (Phoenicopterus chilensis), the James Flamingo (Phoenicoparrus jamesi), and the Andean Flamingo (Phoenicoparrus andinus), distributed in various parts of the world like Africa, Chile, Peru, South America, Argentina, Bolivia, and West Indies, etc (Ogilvie and Ogilvie, 1986). Earlier, Greater Flamingo and Caribbean Flamingo were considered as two subspecies of the “Phoenicopterus ruber” but recently they are categorized as two separate monotype species (Knox et al., 2002)

In India, the two species of Flamingos are mainly found in Gujarat, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Orissa, Maharastra, Karnataka and Kerala.

Greater Flamingos are about 135-140 cm in height one of the tallest bird next to Sarus crane. Their weight is around 2–4 kg much less considering their height. They are rosy white with bright scarlet and black wings. They have large pink bill with black tip and pink legs. The Greater Flamingo (Phoenicopterus roseus) is the most widespread species of the flamingo family. It is found in parts of Africa, southern Asia (Bangladesh and coastal regions of Pakistan and India), and southern Europe (including Spain, Albania, Turkey, Greece, Cyprus, Portugal, Italy and the Camargue region of France).Estimated population size in South & South-West Asia is 2,40,000 birds.

Lesser Flamingos are comparatively smaller, about 90-105 cm in height with deeper rosy pink plumage. They have darker maroon bill with the black tip followed by red and reddish legs. The Lesser Flamingo is primarily an African species with major population found in East African Rift Valley and minor population in southwestern, and western Africa. India has second largest population in the world and a regular breeding site in Rann of Kachchh. They are the most numerous of all flamingo species, with an estimated population of 1.5 to 2.5 million individuals in East Africa and 3,90,000 birds in NW India, mainly in Gujarat.

Flamingos are gregarious birds and generally found in groups, ranging from a few to thousands or lakhs. Their most characteristic habitats are large alkaline or saline lake or estuarine lagoons, saltpans (man-made), lakes (may be far inland or near the sea), mangrove swamps, tidal flats, or sandy islands in the inter-tidal zone.

Flamingos fly with their head and neck stretched out in front, and their legs trailing behind. To take off they run several steps, begin flapping wings and lift their body in the air. While landing the procedure is reversed, the birds touch down the ground and run several paces.
Flamingos are filter feeders. They feed with their beak upside down in the water. Greater Flamingos feed largely upon zooplanktons, molluscs; crustaceans (e.g. Artemia); sedge seeds; higher plant remains and to some extent on phytoplankton. Lesser Flamingos are particularly herbivorous and feed exclusively on phytoplankton; algae (Spirulina); diatoms; and to some extent on seeds of aquatic plants (Ruppia, Scirpus, etc.). The pink coloring for their bodies comes from the crustaceans that they consume as a big part of their diet.

Greater Flamingos are known to breed regularly, only in Gujarat state in the Indian subcontinent. Rann of Kachchh (Greater Rann of Kachchh) is a well-known breeding site of flamingos in India. “Flamingo City” in Great Rann of Kachchh is one of the largest breeding colony of Greater Flamingo in the world and a single regular breeding site in entire Asia (Ogilvie and Ogilvie, 1986). In Gujarat, particularly in eastern part of Great Rann as well as Little Rann of Kachchh, both the species are known to breed in a mixed colony.

Flamingos mature at 5-6 years after hatching and are known to live up to 60 years in captivity. They are colonial nesters, make mounds of mud and lay a single egg. They nest only when the inundation of the area occurs. Even after establishing a colony, when the condition does not remain favourable they desert the colony. If they do not nest successfully for several years their number decreases. Because of their irregular breeding attempts and restricted distribution, Lesser Flamingos in spite of having a large population, are listed as “Near Threaten Species”. Hence conservation of flamingos is very important.

The flamingos are “The State Birds of Gujarat” and are recognized by their local names such as “Hanj“, “Dev hanse“, “Bala“, “Surkhab” in different parts of Gujarat. They are well known as “Lakha na Janaiya” or “Thakorji na Janaiya” in Kachchh and Saurashtra, as their plumage resembles with the white dresses of Janaiya (i.e. members of the groom’s marriage party) sprinkled with gulal (i.e. a red colored powder dye used to sprinkle on the bodies to express joy) during marriages or any good occasions.