The community of flamingos has been growing steadily in Portugal.
The flamingos are one of the species that visit each year our land. Although they are not considered migratory birds because they are only scattered along the coasts of Africa and Europe, the fact is that are living here more than 6000 individuals and for the first time in nearly a quarter of a century three nests were sighted in the Salgados Lagoon, Algarve. Until recently, "little was known of the movements of these birds until it was initiated in 1977 an intensive tagging program in colonies located in the Western Palearctic region, which allowed to discover some of the travel secrets of this specie. Thus, the vast majority of the juvenile who leave the colony after the breeding season, depending on the condition of each one, prefer to choose another place to spend the winter. According to researchers, the choice of wintering sites is dependent on the direction of the winds that are felt in the colonies during the period of abandonment. After the first year of life, the probability of relocation of wintering in subsequent years is low, so there is a tendency to return to their wintering sites in the usual 2 to 3 years "as points out the site birds of Portugal.
We can observe these birds in many parcels of the country, but one of the places with the highest occurrence of number of individuals is undoubtedly the Tagus estuary, but also can be spotted in the Sado estuary and the reservation of Castro Marim. "The species can be observed throughout the year, often forming large pink sheets that extend to the horizon. However, it was not always so, “it concludes. The variation in their numbers greatly depends on the type of winter that gripped the country, the drier and less rain it falls, the greater the number of individuals. Another factor that has contributed to its growth, are the conservation policies of this species and the creation of protected areas in our country. If you want more information about the curious pink flamingo, in terms of timing and a more complete list with the most appropriate periods to observe this beautiful bird I would recommend you to go to the site that I indicate at the end of this text. Enjoy and let you be amazed by nature!
