Lesser Flamingo in Pulicat lake

• After a six-year absence, the lesser flamingos, resplendent with deep red legs and bills, have finally found their way back to Pulicat lake.

About Lesser Flamingo

• Scientific name – Phoeniconaias minor
• It is the smallest of all flamingos but has the largest population.
• It possesses the “hallux” or hind toe that some other flamingos do not have.
• Males are taller than females.
• It inhabits coastal and inland wetlands.
• Global distribution: Africa, Asia continents and in that especially Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, North Africa
• They mostly eat blue-green algae but occasionally will take crustaceans and small insects.
• The birds form pairs that remain together while they are raising the young.
• IUCN status : Near Threatened

About Pulicat Lake

• It is the second-largest brackish water lake in the country after Chilika lake.
• It lies at the border of the states of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu with major part lying in Andhra Pradesh.
• The long and narrow Sriharikota Island, separates Pulicat Lake from the Bay of Bengal.
• It is popular as a flamingo-watching site and for water activities.
• Both the South West and North-East monsoons provide rain to the area where Pulicat Lake is located.
• The annual Flamingo Festival is held in January at Pulicat lake.