‘Climate change and mining are impacting the flamingo’

Paul Rose is co-chair of the IUCN Flamingo Specialist Group and teaches at the University of Exeter. He tells Times Evoke why the bird famed for its hue is now facing a decline:

My research is on bird behaviour and welfare. I look particularly at birds in zoological collections, studying their activities, time budgets, where and who they like to be with, etc. This helps us understand their well-being and management. I research flamingos too there are six species, with a flamboyant courtship display common to all. India gets large flocks of lesser flamingos on its west coast. In their intricate courtship ritual, the birds move their heads and legs together and march in synchrony. They also turn a very bright pink during the breeding season to signify their partnership status. The social behaviour we've seen in collected groups show flamingos have preferred partners as well as friends they like to hang around with clearly, a need to be social brings flamingos together.



Although widely known for their striking looks, flamingos are efficient ecosystem engineers too. By fertilising lakes and marine systems, they allow algae to bloom, providing food to invertebrates and fish and enhancing wetlands nutritional load. Their filtering behaviour when they wade, stand or swim, moving the substrate, releasing filtered material into the water column changes the physical structure of lakebeds and allows other plants and animals to live.


Creatures face major human impacts now. Of their six species, four are on the IUCN conservation radar. The species most likely to be impacted by human activity are the three South American kinds which live in high Andes mountain ranges mining for lithium used in batteries threatens them. Climate change is also altering the water table and foraging areas, impacting their access to food and ability to breed.

STEPPING INTO THE UNKNOWN: Bright flamingo flocks are called a ‘flamboyance’ — but as their wetlands, foraging and nesting grounds now shrink, these birds are growing vulnerable due to human impacts and climate change. Picture courtesy: iStock

As habitats shrink, we see the movement patterns of wild flamingos changing they're flying at different times of the year and choosing fewer wetlands. The lesser flamingo in East Africa is now only nesting in one lake in the rift valley these birds are being squeezed for habitat. In South America, some lakes in the high Andes were regularly used by flamingos but because of human disturbance and degradation, they cant frequent them anymore. Flamingos can move quickly between suitable feeding and nesting areas. But these spots are very limited if they shrink, there is nowhere left for them to go.



Conservation efforts are trying to help declining populations. In South Africa, a new colony of flamingos could form because one community built them a new nesting island and improved the quality of a wetland. Local communities can make positive changes to help these birds which have such a specific habitat requirement, it makes it very hard for them to choose other places to go when conditions change. When forced to do so, the birds use marginal habitats with substandard feeding conditions which weaken their health. Also, they face greater risks from feral dogs and other predatory land-based animals in such sites.



We must respect the space flamingos need, in every manner possible. A simple intervention is not to disturb them by flying drones over their populations to take pictures. This can cause flockwide panic and make the birds leave. We also need to identify their nesting areas and protect these this means managing the water table and ensuring the wetland floods and dries at the right time of year.

Everyone stands to benefit by protecting these birds research from Yucatan, Mexico, shows how tourists arriving to see flamingos via ecotourism can mean millions of dollars for local communities. Regulated and well-managed ecotourism can enable the protection of flamingo habitat and let these birds carry out the remarkable courtship and friendship rituals they have developed over many years.

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