A flamboyance of lesser flamingos have arrived at Chennai’s Pulicat

Source: The post is based on the article “A flamboyance of lesser flamingos have arrived at Chennai’s Pulicat” published in The Hindu on 28th April 2023

What is the News?

After a six-year absence, the lesser flamingos have finally arrived at Pulicat Lake.

What are Lesser Flamingos?

The Lesser flamingo is the smallest of all flamingos.

They possess the “hallux” or hind toe that some other flamingos do not have. Males are a little taller than females.

They are rare migratory birds from the sub-Saharan region in Africa.

They are found in alkaline lakes and coastal lagoons where they gather in huge flocks to eat microscopic blue-green algae.

IUCN Status: Near Threatened

What is Pulicat Lake?

Pulicat Lake is the second largest brackish water lagoon in India, (after Chilika Lake).

The lake is located on the border between Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh.

The lake encompasses the Pulicat Lake Bird Sanctuary. 

The barrier island of Sriharikota separates the lake from the Bay of Bengal. 

The rivers Swarnamukhi and Kalangi in the north and the Arani and the Korttalaiyar (as the Kosasthalaiyar is referred to in old British era documents) in the south drain into Pulicat Lake during the monsoon.