Agnipankha - The Greater Flamingo

14 May

Phoenicopterus roseus

Bhigwan Bird Sanctuary

State Bird of Gujarat, India

Once again we return to the the south of Bhigwan, where bereft of any hills, lie the wide Ujni backwater wetlands. A shallow waste water reserve formed by the discharge of water from the Pune region dams like Panshet, Pawna, Khadakwasla, Varasgaon, Temghar, etc. This semi waste water has created an excellent wetland based ecosystem supporting a large variety of water birds, both endemic and migratory, and also helped with the local agriculture. Nearly 300 species of endemic and migratory birds have been recorded here. The rainfall in the Pune region decides the water level in Ujni dam. Lesser the water, the shallower it is and therefore more birds make it their home in the winter.

Surrounding this lush ecosystem are the rich grasslands and fertile farms home to an impressive list of birds, mammals and reptiles. The area around these backwaters are also unique with rich farmlands and dry deciduous scrub forest with interspersed grasslands. Home to an impressive list of birds, mammals and reptiles they protect many mammals like the Chinkara, Hyena, Wolf and Indian fox and are also popular for grassland birds and the birds of prey, including the magnificent eagles & harriers I’ve talked about in earlier blogs.

Read about the eagles & harriers of Kumbhargaon:

The endangered Steppe Eagle, vulnerable Greater Spotted Eagle & the rare and also vulnerable Eastern Imperial Eagle.
The beautiful Pallid Harrier, Montagu’s Harrier & Eurasian Marsh Harrier.

There are also other spectacular species like the Short-eared Owl, Spotted Owlets & the Indian Courser inhabiting the grasslands. But today we will spend time on the Ujni backwaters in search of the Greater Flamingo known locally as the Agnipankha (wings of fire) for the fiery color of their wings.

During our time here we were hosted by and had the expert help of Sandip Nagare and his team of knowledgeable guides from the Agnipankha Bird Watcher group, especially Ganesh Bhoi, who went out of their way to ensure we had fantastic opportunities to explore, discover, observe & photograph over 82 species of birds and wildlife including some rare ones. We stayed at Sandip’s homestay of the same name and had the added pleasure of indulging in delectable home cooked food.

I spent a couple of days with great friends - Tirtho, Saugat & Samar (his first ever dedicated birding trip) - in Kumbhargaon village, the winter home for an immense variety of birds like Grey Herons, Painted Storks, Brown Headed Gulls, River Terns & Little Terns, the Black-headed & Red-naped Ibis, Little Ringed Plover, Osprey and the Peregrine Falcon to name a few.

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Greater Flamingo

The Greater Flamingo (Phoenicopterus roseus) is the most widespread and largest species of the flamingo family. Distributed from Africa and southern Europe through West Asia to South Asia. It is a very large bird, with a long, "coat hanger" neck, a big kinked bill, and very long pinkish legs. It is the largest living species of flamingo, averaging 91–153 cm (36–60 in) tall and weighing 2–4 kg (4.4–8.8 lb). The largest male flamingos have been recorded at up to 187 cm (74 in) tall and 4.5 kg (9.9 lb). Most of the plumage is pinkish-white, but the wing coverts are red and the primary and secondary flight feathers are black. The bill is pink with a restricted black tip, and the legs are entirely pink. Their call is a goose-like honking.

The chicks are covered in gray fluffy down while the subadult flamingos are paler with dark legs. Adults feeding chicks also become paler, but retain the bright pink legs. Their bent bills allow them to feed on small organisms—plankton, tiny fish, fly larvae, and the like. In muddy flats or shallow water, they use their long legs and webbed feet to stir up the bottom. They then bury their bills, or even their entire heads, and suck up both mud and water to access the tasty morsels within. A flamingo's beak has a filter like structure to remove food from the water before the liquid is expelled. Shrimp like crustaceans are responsible for the flamingo's pink color. The birds pale in captivity unless their diet is supplemented. The coloration comes from the carotenoid pigments in the organisms that live in their feeding grounds. During the breeding season, greater flamingos increase the frequency of their spreading uropygial secretions over their feathers and thereby enhance their color. This cosmetic use of uropygial secretions has been described as applying "make-up".

Greater flamingos are likely to be the only tall, pink bird in any given locale and these famous pink birds can be found in warm, watery regions on many continents. They favour environments like estuaries and saline or alkaline lakes. Considering their appearance, flamingos are surprisingly fluid swimmers, but really thrive on the extensive mud flats where they breed and feed.

The male Great Flamingos can be up to 61 inches tall which is more than many humans. They only weigh about 8 pounds which is extremely light for an animal that is so tall! Their feathers range in color from dark pink to bright red. They also have areas of white blending in with them. While in flight you will be able to see areas of black underneath as well.

They tend to enjoy locations where there is plenty of salt to be found in the water living and feeding in groups called flocks or colonies. They find safety in numbers, which helps to protect individual birds from predators while their heads are down in the mud. Greater flamingos also breed while gathered in groups. Once mating is complete, a pair takes turns incubating their single egg. Young flamingos are born gray and white and do not turn pink for two years. In years when wetlands and pools are dry and food scarce, flamingoes may not breed. Many people don’t realize just how well this species of flamingo is able to swim. That is because they tend to stick to swamps and lagoons that aren’t very deep. They will stand in the thick mud and find plenty of food there to be able to survive on without having to venture into deeper waters. They will stomp their feet in the mud to help stir up the accessible food in the area.

They communicate vocally with a type of honking that is very similar to the sounds that geese make. Living in extremely large colonies, they are able to use these sounds as well as non verbal forms of communication to engage with each other. They don’t like their natural environment to be disrupted by noise, people, or other animals though. This can create high levels of stress for them to deal with.

This species has a very large range, and hence does not approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the range size criterion. The population trend appears to be increasing, and hence the species does not approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the population trend criterion. The population size is very large, and hence does not approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the population size criterion. For these reasons the species is evaluated as Least Concern.

The primary threats to flamingo populations are bacteria, toxins, and pollution in water supplies, which is usually run-off from manufacturing companies, and encroachment on their habitat.

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The following are some photos and a video of the solitary Greater Flamingo we encountered in the Ujni backwaters in the early morning light. We tried our best to manoeuvre the boat as close as possible but the wind was gusting strong. We were sailing downwind but keeping a course in close quarters was difficult and the boat became quite ill-mannered trying to cope with the stiff crosswind.

The following footage was recorded on 13th February on the Ujni backwaters of the Bhigwan Bird Sanctuary. Taken from a boat as the wind was gusting quite strong. I have tried to keep the camera and lens as steady as possible but it was quite a task.