Flamingo flock makes pit stop in Chennai

CHENNAI: These are special guests in times of destruction and degradation. The arrival of a flock of flamingos in Chennai has excited birdwatchers, photographers and environmentalists. Around seven Greater Flamingos, including six adolescent birds, were spotted at the Pallikaranai marsh on Sunday morning. Ornithologists said the birds are probably on their way from Rann of Kutch in Gujurat to Kodiakkarai (Point Calimere) in Nagapattinam. Rann of Kutch, close to the Pakistan border, is one of the largest flamingo breeding grounds.

"During winter, they travel south to feed. Chennai, however, is not a feeding ground so they are probably making a stopover here," said K V Sudhakar, president of Madras Naturalist Society. Flamingos are more common at Pulicat Lake, around 60km north of Chennai.

"It is very unlikely that they will stay here for more than a few days," said Sudhakar. The next time one will have a chance to spot them in the city is in March, when they start their return journey back to their breeding grounds.

But birdwatchers in the city say spotting these elegant birds has become rare over the past decade. "We spotted around 40 the year before last. There have been very few sightings and it is a privilege to see them," Sudhakar said.

Flamingos were sighted in the Adyar estuary till two decades ago. "But now they do not come to the mouth of the river any more because of encroachments in the area," said T Murugavel, a city-based environmentalist. "One or two birds still stop there sometimes during migration and also in the backwaters in Sholinganallur."

There are five species of flamingos in the world. Two of them are found in India, the Greater and Lesser Flamingo. These birds can grow up to 145cm in height and have a wingspan of up to 165cm. They are known for a distinctive pink hue and their peculiar way of feeding. "The pink hue comes from aqueous bacteria and beta carotene in their diet," said Sudhakar.

They have long necks and they are their beaks sieve the algae, plankton, shrimp and small fish they eat," said Sudhakar.

There are about two lakh flamingos left in the country.

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