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The lesser flamingo is the smallest species of flamingo, though it is a tall and large bird by most standards. The species can weigh from 1.2 to 2.7 kg. The standing height is around 80 to 90 cm. The total length (from beak to tail) and wingspan are in the same range of measurements, from 90 to 105 cm. Most of the plumage is pinkish white. The clearest difference between this species and the greater flamingo, the only other Old World species of flamingo, is the much more extensive black on the bill. Size is less helpful unless the species are together, since the sexes of each species also differ in height.

The lesser flamingo may be the most numerous species of flamingo, with a population that (at its peak) probably numbered up to two million individual birds. This species feeds primarily on Spirulina, algae which grow only in very alkaline lakes. Presence of flamingo groups near water bodies is indication of sodic alkaline water which is not suitable for irrigation use. Although blue-green in colour, the algae contain the photosynthetic pigments that give the birds their pink colour. Their deep bill is specialised for filtering tiny food items.

Lesser flamingos are prey to a variety of species, including hyena, marabou stork, baboon, African fish eagle, African wildcat, and African golden wolf

In Kenya, the shallow, alkaline lakes which lace the floor of the Great Rift Valley are one of the most significant foraging sites for the lesser flamingo. The smallest of the world’s six flamingo species. Over a million of them move between Lake Bogoria, Lake Nakuru and Lake Elementita each year. Their populations fluctuate depending on the alkaline levels in each lake, which is vital for the growth of the tiny spirulina algae on which flamingos feed.

Source : Wikipedia / thesafaricollection.com