Greater flamingo

Greater flamingo ( Phoenicopterus ruber)

Greater Flamingos you can see here mainly in the breeding area of Fuente de Piedra of course it depends very much, if it was raining during autumn and winter and the big lagoon is filled with enough water. That's why the number of flamingos there differentiates. In good years with rain there are up to about 45.000 flamingos, in dry years there are only very few of them breeding, which, lucky enough, at times of extreme water shortage are served from a water reservoir.

Also in the Marismas of Guadalquivir-mouth are - concerning to our experiences so far - always flamingos to be seen. And obviously the birds are also coming here from Fuente de Piedra to look for food for their youngsters. These 'feeding-flights' are well known and many people already saw pink colored 'flamingo-clouds' flying above the highway from Malaga to Seville. They start in the early morning and come back to the lagoon of Fuente de Piedra with food around sunset. As responsible peoples on site told us some adult birds always are staying around to look after the young flamingos - the so called flamingo-kindergarten - while most parent-animals are flying to look for food.

Flamingos can get an age up to 20 years and even older, experienced birds have 'the saying' in the big groups to show where is the best breeding place in this year and where to fly to get food.

During winter you also can meet these beautiful exotic birds in the lagoon from El Rocio in the National Park from Doñana. And a few of them have their main area also on the mouth of Guadalhorce, an area located between Málaga and the airport.

And now I would like to invite everybody who is interested to look at my, until now, best flamingo pictures in the gallery.

Fuente de Piedra