Source: TH
Context: After a six-year absence, a group of lesser flamingos has returned to Pulicat Lake in Chennai
About the lesser flamingo:
| Information | |
| The lesser flamingo is the smallest species of flamingo, though it is a tall and large bird by most standards, with pale pink colour and deep red legs and bills. Their colour comes from the carotenoid pigments they consume as part of their diet. | |
| Size | Approximately 80 to 90 cm long; females are smaller |
| Diet | Microscopic blue-green algae and benthic diatoms; Small aquatic invertebrates such as rotifers (less often) |
| Habitat | Large undisturbed alkaline and saline lakes, salt pans, coastal lagoons, and estuaries |
| Range | Primarily eastern and southern Africa; Madagascar, Yemen, Pakistan and Western India |
| Conservation Status | IUCN: Near Threatened; CITES: Appendix II |
| Facts | Its name has been derived from Portuguese, meaning “red goose”. It is most numerous and lives in the largest flocks; Both males and females provide young with crop milk |
| About Pulicat Lake | It is the second-largest brackish water lagoon in India, (after Chilika Lake). Its major part comes in the Andhra Pradesh. It encompasses the Pulicat Lake Bird Sanctuary. The barrier island of Sriharikota separates the lagoon from the Bay of Bengal and is home to the Satish Dhawan Space Centre. |
