A flock of more than 35 flamingos was spotted in the national natural park Tuzlivski Lymani in Odesa.
The birds visited the reserve for the first time since December 2022 and flew towards the Danube River delta, Ivan Rusev, a biologist and ecologist from the national park, said on Facebook.
As you know, the pink flamingo is a rare bird listed in the International Red Book as a vulnerable species.
He explained that flamingos became a prototype of the mythical phoenix birds, which symbolize immortality, self-sacrifice, gentleness and courage.
Rusev said that the bright pink color of the birds is due to their diet. After all, birds feed on algae, crustaceans and other inhabitants of the aquatic world, which contain a lot of carotene pigment. When the substance accumulates in the body of animals, it recolors white feathers in pink.
He added that flamingos also have a unique nature. After all, unlike other birds, they move the upper part of the beak, not the lower part.
"Flamingos are gregarious birds. They never live alone, preferring large flocks of their siblings. And, by the way, it is much easier and safer. After all, they are not alone in the natural world and someone will definitely want to eat their meat," Rusev said.
He also noted that in flamingo families, both father and mother incubate the eggs and raise the chicks.
As EcoPolitic previously reported, about 12,000 ducks stopped in the Tuzlivski lymany national park in Odesa, in the water area of the Maly Sasyk estuary, among which grebes, broad-nosed ducks, little, mallard, and gray ducks "stopped".
