subject: The Lesser Flamingo [print this page] The Lesser Flamingo The Lesser Flamingo
Lesser Flamingo is a species of birds in the flamingo family. It's a resident of Africa found in the Great Rift Valley lakes. It's also common in Southern Asia. This subspecies of the birds is the smallest and its population is around 2 million. The bird weighs around 2.0 kg and stands 3ft tall. It has long wing with a span of 3by 3 ft. Its mostly pink to white in color. The bird's predators include baboons, Marabou Storks and African Fish Eagles.
Lesser Flamingo differs a bit from the Greater Flamingo, another of its subspecies. The difference is in the color and the size of the bill. The Greater species bill is more extensive and blacker in color. Another difference is that the Greater species feed primarily on algae which grow only in alkaline lakes. The algae though blue green in color, contains the photosynthetic pigments that gives the birds their pink color. Their bill is also specialized in filtering tiny food items. However the Lesser species feeds primarily on shrimp.
Lesser Flamingos are mostly found on Lake Natron in the northern part of Tanzania. They also breed on this lake because it's not encroached by many of their predators. Other breeding sites include Etosha Pan, Sua Pan and Kamfers Dam. In Kenya their breeding occurred in 1962 when Lake Natron was unsuitable due to flooding. In Asia the species breed in south Western and southern Asia. They lay a single chalky white egg on the muddy fields which they then cover with until they hatch. The animals are protected by the governments to avoid encroachment of their habitats.
