Lesser flamingo

Description

This is the smallest of the flamingos. Its plumage is a whitish pink, the beak dark with a red patch near the tip, the eyes red, and the legs pink and very long, but with small feet. Their toes are joined together by interdigital membranes, which is very useful for walking over mud. The pink colour of the flamingo is due to a pigment taken from the food they eat, such as algae or shrimp.

Ethology

They are gregarious and form colonies of up to 1 million individuals, being the largest grouping of birds in the world. The courting rituals include hundreds of birds that move and carry out synchronised demonstrations. They normally lay 1 egg in a nest made of mud which both parents will incubate for 28 days. 

Interesting facts

They often stand on one leg, even when they are sleeping, with the head laid over the body and the other leg folded beneath the abdomen. This posture helps them reduce the loss of heat through their limbs. The planned soda ash mining operations in combination with hydroelectric power stations directly affect the main breeding ground for these birds.