Pink because of what it eats
The greater flamingo (*Phoenicopterus roseus*) gets its colour from carotenoid pigments in the algae and small crustaceans it eats. Chicks hatch covered in grey down.
The Camargue, a major breeding site
The Camargue is one of Europe’s most important breeding areas. Between 1947 and 1960 there were never more than 4,000 pairs; since the early 1990s there have been more than 10,000. An islet was built for nesting on the Fangassier lagoon. In summer, up to 30,000 flamingos are present.
World population
The species numbers about 500,000 birds worldwide, 90,000 of them in Europe.
An unusual moult
In the Camargue most flamingos replace their flight feathers one by one, so they can keep flying.
Test yourself
Where does the flamingo’s pink colour come from?
- Its diet (answer)
- The sun
- Salt water
How many pairs have nested in the Camargue since the 1990s?
- About 1,000
- More than 10,000 (answer)
- More than 100,000
On which lagoon was a nesting islet built?
- Fangassier (answer)
- Scamandre
- Vaccarès
What colour is the chicks’ down?
- Pink
- Grey (answer)
- Black