Overview
In the shimmering heat, thousands of pink silhouettes ripple across the water as lesser flamingos feed in remarkable unison. Tanzania’s alkaline lakes, particularly Lake Natron and Lake Manyara, provide some of the most spectacular opportunities to see these highly specialised birds.
Lesser flamingos feed with their heads inverted beneath the surface, pumping water through fine, comb-like structures inside the bill. These filters trap microscopic cyanobacteria and diatoms that flourish in alkaline water. Pigments within this food gradually colour the birds’ feathers pink.
Lake Natron is especially important. It is the only regular breeding site for lesser flamingos in East Africa, although the birds depend on a wider network of lakes across the region for feeding and resting. Changes at any one of these wetlands can therefore affect flamingos far beyond that individual lake.
Behaviour & How to Identify
Look for a slender flamingo with pale pink plumage, long reddish legs and a deeply curved bill that appears dark red with a black tip. The lesser flamingo is smaller and more intensely coloured than the greater flamingo, with a darker bill and a deeper pink face.
They are highly social and may gather in flocks numbering many thousands of birds. While feeding, individuals move slowly through shallow water with their bills submerged, sometimes creating coordinated bands that appear to sweep across the lake.
Before breeding, large groups perform synchronised courtship displays involving head-turning, marching, calling and wing-saluting. Successful pairs build low mud nests on isolated flats surrounded by shallow, highly alkaline water, which helps reduce access for many predators.
Interesting facts
Lake Natron is East Africa’s only regular breeding site. Its remote mudflats and highly alkaline water provide the unusual conditions needed for successful nesting.
Their pink colour comes from their food. Pigments obtained from cyanobacteria and other microscopic organisms are deposited in the feathers, with well-fed adults generally displaying stronger colour.
Chicks are born grey rather than pink. Their adult colouring develops gradually as pigment-rich food becomes part of their diet