Flamingos Visit Coastal Salt Pans in Tamil Nadu

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Large flocks of migratory flamingos have turned the coastal salt pans of Thoothukudi, Tamil Nadu, into a vibrant feeding and resting habitat.

Flamingos are highly gregarious, tall, pink wading birds belonging to the family Phoenicopteridae, which stands as the sole family under the specialized avian order Phoenicopteriformes.
Renowned for their highly social behavior, these birds gather in massive colonial flocks numbering from hundreds to over a million individuals for flight formations, wading, and breeding.

They primarily colonize highly alkaline or saline shallow lagoons, coastal salt pans, mangrove creeks, tidal mudflats, and inland soda lakes across tropical and subtropical regions.
The two species commonly found in India include the Greater Flamingo and the Lesser Flamingo.
These birds migrate systematically from their major national breeding grounds in the Rann of Kachchh, Gujarat, to wintering coastal havens across southern Tamil Nadu, including Thoothukudi, Tirunelveli, and Kanyakumari.
To safeguard these migration routes, the Tamil Nadu government has formally designated Dhanushkodi as a dedicated flamingo sanctuary to buffer the birds against urban noise and cracker disruptions.

The Lesser Flamingo is globally classified as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List.
The Greater Flamingo is classified under Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.

Flamingo chicks are born grey-white and gradually develop pink feathers as they mature.
Their color comes from carotenoid-rich food such as algae, diatoms, crustaceans, and small mollusks.
Flamingos feed by placing their curved bill upside down in shallow water and stirring mud with their feet.
Tiny comb-like structures inside the bill filter out food while expelling water.
During flight, flamingos extend their necks and legs straight, creating a distinctive silhouette with black wing markings.
They often stand on one leg to conserve heat and reduce muscular effort.
Flamingos build cone-shaped mud nests in shallow wetlands to protect eggs from flooding.
Both parents incubate the eggs and later feed chicks with regurgitated nutrient-rich food.