Greater Flamingo Phoenicopterus roseus
Lake Langano, Ethiopia
22 January 2014
A spectacular bird unto itself, large flocks of Greater Flamingo are a true spectacle of nature. When massed together they seem to be a sea of pink, undulating in the shallows as they move in unison to feed. Their bills sweep back and forth at the surface as they sieve small invertebrates from the water. They are also capable of upending like ducks in deeper water and despite their long, thin legs are competent swimmers when they need to be.
Whenever we saw flamingos, Marabou Storks Leptoptilos crumenifer patrolled the edges of the lake, feeding on carcasses of dead flamingos, and waiting on every opportunity to seize and kill an injured bird.
