Lesser flamingo

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Lesser flamingo
Lesser Flamingo (Phoenicopterus minor) - Flickr - Lip Kee.jpg
At Lake Nakuru, Kenya
CITES Appendix II (CITES) [1]
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Phoenicopteriformes
Family: Phoenicopteridae
Genus: Phoeniconaias
Species:
P. minor
Binomial name
Phoeniconaias minor
Phoeniconaias minor distr map.png
Synonyms

The lesser flamingo (Phoeniconaias minor) is a species of flamingo occurring in sub-Saharan Africa and western India. [4] Birds are occasionally reported from further north, but these are generally considered vagrants.

Contents

Characteristics

The lesser flamingo is the smallest species of flamingo, though it is a tall and large bird by most standards. The species can weigh from 1.2 to 2.7 kg (2.6 to 6.0 lb). [5] The standing height is around 80 to 90 cm (31 to 35 in). [6] [7] The total length (from beak to tail) and wingspan are in the same range of measurements, from 90 to 105 cm (35 to 41 in). [6] [8] Most of the plumage is pinkish white. The clearest difference between this species and the greater flamingo, the only other Old World species of flamingo, is the much more extensive black on the bill. Size is less helpful to distinguish the two species, unless they occur together, since the sexes of each species also differ in height.

The extinct species Phoeniconaias proeses in the same genus, from the Pliocene of Australia, is thought to have been even smaller. [9]

The lesser flamingo may be the most common species of flamingo, with a population that (at its peak) probably numbered up to two million individual birds. This species feeds primarily on Spirulina , algae which grow only in very alkaline lakes. Presence of flamingo groups near water bodies is an indication of sodic alkaline water which is not suitable for irrigation use. Although blue-green in colour, the algae contain the photosynthetic pigments that give the birds their pink colour. Their deep bill is specially adapted for filtering tiny food items. Other forms of algae taken are Synechocystis minuscula, Synechococcus pevalekii, Synechococcus elongatus , Monoraphidium minutum, Oscillatoria sp. and Lyngbya sp. [10] [11] This species will also feed, to a lesser extent, on small invertebrates: copepods ( Paradiaptomus africanus ), diatoms ( Navicula ) and rotifers ( Brachionus ), as well as microscopic alkaliphilic cyanobacteria ( Arthrospira fusiformis, A. maxima). [10] [11]

Predators

Lesser flamingos are prey to a variety of species, including marabou storks, vultures, baboons, African fish eagles, jackals, hyenas, foxes, Great white pelicans, Martial Eagle, and big cats. [12] [13]

Breeding

Eggs Phoeniconaias minor MHNT 226 RdN Aftout Es Saheli Mauritanie.jpg
Eggs

In Africa, where they are most common, the lesser flamingos breed principally on the highly caustic Lake Natron in northern Ngorongoro District in Arusha Region of Tanzania. Their other African breeding sites are at Etosha Pan, Makgadikgadi Pan, and Kamfers Dam. The last confirmed breeding season 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. [14]

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. [14] [4] Some movement of individuals occurs between Africa and India. [15]

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).

Threats

Despite being the most common 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. [16]

The population in the two key East African lakes, Lake Nakuru and Lake 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. [17] The only breeding site in South Africa, situated at Kamfers Dam, is threatened by pollution and encroaching development. [18] East African soda lake productivity declines due to rising water levels are another threat to the lesser flamingo. [19]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flamingo</span> Family of birds

Flamingos or flamingoes are a type of wading bird in the family Phoenicopteridae, which is the only extant family in the order Phoenicopteriformes. There are four flamingo species distributed throughout the Americas, and two species native to Afro-Eurasia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greater flamingo</span> Species of bird

The greater flamingo is the most widespread and largest species of the flamingo family. Common in the Old World, they are found in Northern (coastal) and Sub-Saharan Africa, the Indian Subcontinent, the Middle East, the Levant, the Persian Gulf, the Gulf of Aden, the Red Sea, and the Mediterranean countries of Southern Europe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chilean flamingo</span> Species of flamingo

The Chilean flamingo is a species of large flamingo at a height of 110–130 cm (43–51 in) closely related to the American flamingo and the greater flamingo, with which it was sometimes considered conspecific. The species is listed as Near Threatened by the IUCN.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lake Natron</span> Alkaline lake in Arusha Region, Tanzania.

Lake Natron is a salt or alkaline lake located in north Ngorongoro District of Arusha Region in Tanzania at the border with Kenya. It is in the Gregory Rift, which is the eastern branch of the East African Rift. The lake is within the Lake Natron Basin, a Ramsar Site wetland of international significance. It is the only regular breeding area for Africa's lesser flamingoes, although this habitat is not protected and is under threat from planned development projects.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lake Magadi</span> Lake Kajiado County, Kenya

Lake Magadi is the southernmost lake in the Kenyan Rift Valley, lying in a catchment of faulted volcanic rocks, north of Tanzania's Lake Natron. During the dry season, it is 80% covered by soda and is well known for its wading birds, including flamingos.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lake Nakuru</span> Alkaline lake in Rift valley

Lake Nakuru is one of the Rift Valley lakes, located at an elevation of 1,754 m (5,755 ft) above sea level. It lies to the south of Nakuru, in the rift valley of Kenya and is protected by Lake Nakuru National Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lake Manyara National Park</span> National park in Tanzania

Lake Manyara National Park is a protected area in Tanzania's Arusha and Manyara Regions, situated between Lake Manyara and the Great Rift Valley. It is administered by the Tanzania National Parks Authority, and covers an area of 325 km2 (125 sq mi) including about 230 km2 (89 sq mi) lake surface. More than 350 bird species have been observed on the lake.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lake Elmenteita</span> Lake in Kenya

Lake Elmenteita is a soda lake, in the Great Rift Valley, about 120 km northwest of Nairobi, Kenya.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chestnut-banded plover</span> Species of bird

The chestnut-banded plover is a species of bird in the family Charadriidae. This species has a large range, being distributed across Southern Africa. However, it occupies a rather small area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kamfers Dam</span> Reservoir in South Africa

Kamfers Dam is a privately owned permanent water body of 400 ha, situated to the immediate north of Kimberley, South Africa. The wetland was originally an ephemeral pan, often dry and dependent on rain water. In recent times its water level rose due to the input of constant runoff and treated water from the growing city of Kimberley.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Soda lake</span> Lake that is strongly alkaline

A soda lake or alkaline lake is a lake on the strongly alkaline side of neutrality, typically with a pH value between 9 and 12. They are characterized by high concentrations of carbonate salts, typically sodium carbonate, giving rise to their alkalinity. In addition, many soda lakes also contain high concentrations of sodium chloride and other dissolved salts, making them saline or hypersaline lakes as well. High pH and salinity often coincide, because of how soda lakes develop. The resulting hypersaline and highly alkalic soda lakes are considered some of the most extreme aquatic environments on Earth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nata Bird Sanctuary</span>

The Nata Bird Sanctuary, the only protected reserve in the northeastern periphery of Sowa Pan in Botswana, is a community-managed project, with assistance from the Nata Conservation Committee and national and international organizations. Founded in 1988, it opened for operations in 1993; it encompasses an area of 230 square kilometres (89 sq mi), with the objective of conservation of wildlife. The community project is managed by a Trust titled the "Kalahari Conservation Society", which has members drawn from the four villages of Nata, Sepako, Maposa and Manxotae in the vicinity of the sanctuary.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Great Rift Valley, Kenya</span> Part of an intra-continental ridge system that runs through Kenya

The Great Rift Valley is part of an intra-continental ridge system that runs through Kenya from north to south. It is part of the Gregory Rift, the eastern branch of the East African Rift, which starts in Tanzania to the south and continues northward into Ethiopia. It was formed on the "Kenyan Dome" a geographical upwelling created by the interactions of three major tectonics: the Arabian, Nubian, and Somalian plates. In the past, it was seen as part of a "Great Rift Valley" that ran from Madagascar to Syria. Most of the valley falls within the former Rift Valley Province.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southern Ewaso Ng'iro</span> River in Kenya

The Southern Ewaso Ng'iro is a river in the Great Rift Valley in Kenya. It plays an important role in the ecology of Lake Natron, the main regular breeding site for near-threatened lesser flamingos. Changes to land use in the river's headwaters or in the marshes before the river enters the lake could have a serious impact on this species.

<i>Phoeniconaias</i> Genus of birds

Phoeniconaias is a genus of birds in the flamingo family Phoenicopteridae. The genus contains one extant species, the lesser flamingo, occurring in sub-Saharan Africa and western India, and an extinct species, Phoeniconaias proeses, from the Pliocene of Australia, which is thought to have been even smaller.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pikrolimni (lake)</span> Endorheic, alkaline salt lake in Kilkis prefecture, Greece

Lake Pikrolimni is an endorheic, alkaline salt lake in Kilkis prefecture, Greece. It is located on the border of the Kilkis and Thessaloniki regional units, about 40 km northwest of Thessaloniki. The lake is hypersaline, has rather shallow waters (0.5–0.7 m) and a shoreline of about 8.5 km. The water surface area shows significant seasonal variation (3.2–4.5 km2) due to evaporation in the summer months, with an average value of 3.7 km2.

Harrisonavis is an extinct genus of flamingo that lived during the Late Oligocene and Early Miocene periods in what is now France. Despite being one of the oldest known members of the flamingo family, it already shows a skull remarkably similar to that of the modern greater flamingo. Although generally similar, it subtly differs in the curvature of the bill and the size of the ventral keel of the maxilla, both signs that Harrisonavis was not yet as adapted towards filter feeding as modern species are. Harrisonavis inhabited brackish lakes alongside the more basal Palaelodidae. It contains the single species Harrisonavis croizeti, first described in 1852.

<i>Leakeyornis</i> Extinct genus of flamingo

Leakeyornis is an extinct genus of flamingo from the early to middle Miocene of Kenya, primarily in the area of modern day Lake Victoria. Initially described as a species of Phoenicopterus based on an incomplete skull and various limb bones, it was later found to show a mixture of traits found across modern flamingo genera and subsequently placed in its own genus. It contains a single species, Leakeyornis aethiopicus.

Phoeniconaias proeses is an extinct species of flamingo from the Pliocene of Australia. Fossil material was described under several names including Ocyplanus proeses and Phoeniconaias gracilis, which were eventually found to be synonymous. Only material from the Tirari Formation has been dated, while most other material lacks precise information on its age. P. proeses was one of the smallest species of flamingo, smaller than the modern lesser flamingo which it may be related to.

<i>Xenorhynchopsis</i> Extinct genus of bird

Xenorhynchopsis is an extinct genus of flamingo from the Pliocene to Pleistocene Lake Eyre basin of Australia. Initially described as species of stork, the two known Xenorhynchopsis species are vastly different in size. X. minor is the older and small of the two species, ranging from the Pliocene to Pleistocene and being described as having reached a size smaller than that of the lesser flamingo. X. tibialis meanwhile appears to have been restricted to Pleistocene strata and was notably bigger, being counted as one of the biggest known flamingos in the fossil record.

References

  1. 1 2 BirdLife International (2018). "Phoeniconaias minor". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2018: e.T22697369A129912906. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T22697369A129912906.en . Retrieved 27 January 2022.
  2. ↑ Geoffroy, C. (1798). "Sur une nouvelle espèce de Phœnicoptère ou Flammant". Bulletin des sciences par la Société philomathique. 1 (15).
  3. ↑ Gray, G.R. (1869). "Notes on the bills of the species of Flamingo (Phœnicopterus)". Ibis. New Series. 5 (20): 438–443. doi:10.1111/j.1474-919X.1869.tb06897.x.
  4. 1 2 Manakadan, R. & Khan, A. N. (2020). "Birds of the Indian Subcontinent – In a Nutshell". Buceros. 24 (Special Issue 2 & 3): 1–79.
  5. ↑ "Lesser flamingo - Phoeniconaias minor - ARKive". www.arkive.org. Archived from the original on 14 May 2009. Retrieved 15 January 2022.
  6. 1 2 "FLAMINGOS - Physical Characteristics". Archived from the original on 2012-07-10. Retrieved 2012-07-23.
  7. ↑ "Home | San Diego Zoo Animals & Plants".
  8. ↑ Ali, S. (1993). The Book of Indian Birds. Bombay: Bombay Natural History Society. ISBN   0-19-563731-3.
  9. ↑ Miller, A.H. (1963). "The fossil flamingos of Australia" (PDF). The Condor. 65 (4): 289–299. doi:10.2307/1365355. JSTOR   1365355.
  10. 1 2 "Phoeniconaias minor (Lesser flamingo)". Animal Diversity Web .
  11. 1 2 Del Hoyo, Josep; Boesman, Peter F. D.; Garcia, Ernest; Kirwan, Guy M. (2020). "Lesser Flamingo (Phoeniconaias minor), version 1.0". Birds of the World.
  12. ↑ DiBuono, L. 2017. "Phoeniconaias minor" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed March 05, 2021 at https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Phoeniconaias_minor/
  13. ↑ "Lesser Flamingo". Oakland Zoo. 2020. Retrieved 4 March 2021.
  14. 1 2 Anderson, M. D. (2008). "A Vision in Pink, Lesser Flamingo Breeding Success". Africa - Birds & Birding. 13 (2): 42–49.
  15. ↑ Parasharya, B.M.; Rank, D.N.; Harper, D.M.; Crosa, G.; Zaccara, S.; Patel, N.; Joshi, C.G. (2015). "Long-distance dispersal capability of Lesser Flamingo Phoeniconaias minor between India and Africa: Genetic inferences for future conservation plans". Ostrich. 86 (3): 221. Bibcode:2015Ostri..86..221P. doi:10.2989/00306525.2015.1053827. S2CID   86056411.
  16. ↑ Anderson, M. D. "Save the Flamingo" . Retrieved 2008-08-20.
  17. ↑ "TA-TA to Lake Natron's flamingos". Africa - Birds & Birding. 12 (4): 16. 2007.
  18. ↑ Macleod, F. (2008). "Flamingo row: Officials 'under house arrest'". Mail&Guardian. Retrieved 2008-08-20.
  19. ↑ Byrne, A.; Tebbs, E.J.; Njoroge, P.; Nkwabi, A.; Chadwick, M.A.; Freeman, R.; Harper, D.; Norris, K. (2024). "Productivity declines threaten East African soda lakes and the iconic Lesser Flamingo". Current Biology. doi:10.1016/j.cub.2024.03.006.
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