18-07-2025
Flamingos light up Kovalam
Chennai: Bird watchers in the city were surprised to spot nearly 200 Greater Flamingos at Kovalam Creek recently, more so because wildlife officials said they were not sighted at their regular haunts such as Pulicat Bird Sanctuary in Tiruvallur, Kodiakkarai in Nagapattinam district, or the newly declared flamingo sanctuary at Dhanushkodi near Rameswaram.
A senior wildlife official said that in Kodiakkarai, flamingos begin arriving from Sept and stay for about six months.
Former deputy director of Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) S Balachandran said flamingos breed once in four years, and in some areas, they can be seen year-round.
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In Kanyakumari district, the backwaters near saltpans often host them due to the mixture of saline and fresh water that ensures adequate feed.
This combination influences their extended stay, Balachandran said.
Regarding Dhanushkodi, Balachandran said that the lagoon, now declared a flamingo sanctuary, dries up in summer, forcing the birds to move elsewhere.
K V R K Thirunaranan of The Nature Trust said the availability of feed and absence of human disturbance attracted flamingos to Kovalam Creek every year.
Thirunaranan and his team recorded mostly flamingos in non-breeding plumage and juvenile birds. "Since 2017, our team has recorded flamingo sightings here during July, albeit in small numbers, which always surprised us," he said.
