Species name

Greater flamingo Phoenicopterus ruber

Lesser flamingo Phoenicopterus minor

Family Gruidae

Order Phoenicopteri

Distribution

The greater flamingo can be found in North and West Africa, while the lesser flamingo lives in the Rift Valley of East Africa and in Southern Africa. There are about 6 million lesser flamingos in Africa.

Habitat

The flamingo lives in or near brackish or salt water in warm climates. The flamingo likes lakes that are shallow and usually selects large bodies of water so that it can feed and breed in privacy.

Numbers

Flamingo numbers are threatened as man continually moves into the flamingo┐s territory. Flamingos are specialised animals and require very specific habitats to survive. Numbers of such suitable habitats are decreasing and the flamingo cannot adapt to new habitats.

Interesting Facts

Flamingos are some of the only creatures designed to survive in the caustic environment of a volcanic lake. The word flamingo has associations with fire and derives from the Spanish/Latin word ┐flamenco┐ which has roots in the word ┐flaming┐. An ancient myth describes the flamingo as an immortal bird that was consumed by flames and then rose from the ashes.