A Fall of Flamingos

 

Greater Flamingo (Phoenicopterus roseus).
Etang de Grussian, France

This fall, circumstances placed flamingos in our path.  Diane and I don’t usually see flamingos but between a hurricane and a long-planned trip to Europe we got to see two different species of these special birds. 

Tropical storm Idalia formed in the Western Caribbean in late August 2023.  It wandered about the northern tip of the of the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico then entered the Gulf of Mexico.  The warm Gulf waters fueled Idalia’s intensification into a major hurricane.  Idalia came ashore in the Florida panhandle as a category 3 hurricane.  The storm crossed northern Florida where it weakened to tropical storm strength. It crossed southern Georgia and entered the Atlantic off South Carolina.  Idalia then swept past the coast of North Carolina and out into the North Atlantic. 

The track of Tropical Storm/Hurricane Idalia.
August-September 2023.
https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/2023/IDALIA_graphics.php?product=5day_cone_with_line

Hurricanes are notorious not only for mass destruction and loss of life but also for bringing unusual birds to North America.  Many storms deposit sea birds far inland where they can be seen flying over large lakes.  Idalia did something more. 

There are large breeding colonies of American Flamingos (Phoenicopterus ruber) at the northern end of the Yucatan Peninsula.  These tall, long-legged wading birds have black wings, pink feathers and a large, curved beak.  They breed in the spring and the young birds join in large groups called creches. Young Flamingos are easy to tell from adults because they are gray rather than pink.  Flamingos eat crustaceans and other small creatures by filtering them through sieve-like structures in the beak.  The crustaceans that make up their diet contain red carotenoid pigments that are deposited in new feathers as they grow.  So, American Flamingos turn pink in their second year after consuming pigment containing food.  This species is normally found on islands of the West Indies, coastal areas of Mexico bordering the Gulf and the Caribbean, north coasts of Colombia and Venezuela, and the Galapagos Islands.   

Hurricane Idalia picked up some of the Yucatan American Flamingos and deposited then across the United States. Many ended up in Florida and around the Gulf Coast to Louisiana.  Other Flamingos found themselves far inland.  The storm-blown flamingos were recorded in Kansas, Missouri, Maryland, Virginia, Tennessee, Kentucky, South Carolina and North Carolina. 

American Flamingos (Phoenicopterus ruber).
Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge, North Carolina.
Photo courtesy of Karen Lebing. 

Hurricane Idalia brushed past the North Carolina coast on August 31 and on September 2 birders began reporting 11 American Flamingos at the Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge on the Outer Banks. Three of the birds were pink adults and 8 were gray immatures.  The flamingos persisted in the area and numbers increased to 17, with 4 adults and 13 immatures.  Diane and I did not get to see these unusual birds until September 18.  On that day the flamingos were out in Pamlico Sound, and we had to climb a dune to get distant views with a spotting scope.  This was the first time American Flamingos were recorded in North Carolina.

American Flamingos flying over Pamlico Sound.
Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge, North Carolina.

What will become of these vagrants American Flamingos?  Some could return to Mexico, others might be lost to predation, but some may stay.  An American Flamingo was blown to the St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge in north Florida by Hurricane Michael in 2018.  It has been living there ever since.  Some of the storm-tossed birds may take up residence and even breed.  There is a village named Flamingo at the south end of Everglades National Park in Florida.  American Flamingos were abundant in south Florida in the late 19^th century, perhaps they will be again, thanks to Hurricane Adalia.   

We traveled to the south of France in early October 2023 to visit friends and to see birds.  One of our targets was the Greater Flamingo (Phoenicopterus roseus). The Greater Flamingo lives in India, the Middle East, Africa and much of Mediterranean coast of Europe.  It is the largest of the world’s six flamingo species with some standing 6 feet in height.  Adult Greater Flamingos are pale pink in color with red and black on the wings that can be seen when the birds fly. Like in the American Flamingo, the first-year birds are gray and develop their color as the molt in new feathers in their second year. 

Greater Flamingos (Phoenicopterus roseus)with
the ruins of Chateau Grussian in the background.
Etang Grussian, France. 

Diane, two friends and I found a flock of dozens of Greater Flamingos in a brackish lagoon called Etang de Grussian near the Mediterranean coast of France.  The ruins of Chateau Grussian frown down on the lagoon where the flamingos fed, rested and flew about.  Other ponds in the area gave us views of hundreds more of these stunning birds.  

Greater Flamingos landing.
Etang Grussian, France. 

We rarely see wild flamingos, so for us to see two species, on two continents, in one season was a rare treat indeed.  

Greater Flamingos feeding.
Port Grussian, France.

Thanks to Karen Lebing for allowing the use of her excellent photo of American Flamingos.