Drop in water levels drive over 300 greater flamingos to shift their winter home from Pulicat to Kolleru

Over 300 greater flamingos flock to Kolleru Lake, signaling a shift in migration patterns, attracting attention from officials.

P SRAVANI

The captivating sight of over 300 greater flamingos (Phoenicopterus roseus) arriving at the Kolleru Lake near Madhavapuram, compared to only about 20 last year, is a sign of a shift in the birds’ migration pattern, opine the forest officials.

Kolleru Lake, a Ramsar site, is one of the largest freshwater lakes in the country. Located between the Krishna and Godavari deltas, it witnesses large-scale bird migration every year.

Greater flamingos usually migrate to India from Israel, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. However, the large influx of the greater flamingos to Kolleru this year is unusual, according to officials, as the birds usually prefer saltwater bodies like Pulicat Lake.

Large, shallow lakes or lagoons, which are too saline for many other creatures, are the preferred habitat of the greater flamingos. These filter feeders mostly eat algae and small crustaceans.

Ashok Kumar, Deputy Range Forest Officer, Eluru, said, “The flamingo migration to the Madhavapuram Bird Sanctuary last year marked the beginning of the shift. This change could be due to birds’ search for new habitats as the water level in Pulicat Lake began to drop. Similar is the situation with the Kolleru Lake. However, the drop in water levels has increased the lake’s salinity. Given this and the abundant algal growth, the Kolleru Lake presents an ideal winter home for the greater flamingos.”

Greater flamingos build their nests, which look like mounds of mud, on the ground, along waterways, unlike other birds, which build nests on tree branches to protect their eggs.