I crossed paths with more than a thousand Greater Flamingos in October. That’s not an exaggeration. Although this one, at top, would have been enough to get my fill. Those eyes and bill are mesmerising.
First, it was at (EVOA) in the Tagus Estuary Birdwatching and Conservation Area near Lisbon and then again about two weeks later in various points in the Camargue, the famed Rhone River delta in southern France. I snapped about 500 photos of them; I dwindled that down to what I think are the 19 best for this inaugural Greater Flamingo gallery.
There are six species of flamingo; the Greater Flamingo is the largest and most widespread, commonly seen in the Mediterranean and Adriatic countries of southern Europe, northern and Sub-Saharan Africa, the Indian subcontinent, Middle East, Levant, Persian Gulf, Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea. In ancient Egypt, they were revered as a form of the sun god Ra, while the Greeks considered them the blush-colored icons of life, death, rebirth, and transformation. [Flamingo-curious? I’ve seen and photographed three of the six flamingo species. Check out my Chilean Flamingo gallery and my James’s Flamingo gallery.]
These photos were taken in river estuaries that are well-established Greater Flamingo habitats so my figure of ‘a thousand’ is not an exaggeration. (These are two of the few areas in Europe that Greater Flamingos live year-round.) On a Saturday afternoon at EVOA, which is about an hour by train south of Lisbon, we counted at least 200 in two lagoons. In the Camargue, each of the roughly dozen lagoons we visited included several dozen to a few hundred birds.
We all know that all flamingos (all six species) are pink, but as you’ll see there is great variance in the shading, from deep pink to off-white.
Greater Flamingos are pink mainly due to their diet, which consists of algae, brine flies, and crustaceans that are high in carotenoid pigments. When flamingos consume these foods, the pigments are metabolized and deposited in their feathers, skin, and beak, giving them their distinctive pink hue. The intensity of the color can vary based on the availability of carotenoid-rich food sources, which means that flamingos that have access to more nutritious diets will exhibit brighter colors.
Coloration of Greater Flamingos also serves as a form of social signaling, with brighter plumage often associated with better health and fitness. So during courtship displays, the vibrancy of their feathers can show others their overall vitality. Acording to Birds of the World, breeding season begins in the Camargue in November and generally lasts through May, so I don’t know how much of this was at play here. We’ll aim for another visit to the Camargue in the Spring – expect another update to this gallery then.
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Greater Flamingo (Phoenicopterus roseus) in brief (with assist from WordPress AI but double-checked by me at Birds of the World and Wikipedia):
- Size: Height: 1.2 to 1.5 meters (4 to 5 feet); Wingspan: 1.4 to 1.7 meters (4.5 to 5.6 feet)
- Diet: Primarily feeds on algae, brine flies, and crustaceans, filtering them from shallow waters.
- Habitat: Found in shallow lakes, lagoons, and estuaries, often in saline or alkaline environments.
- Physical Description: Notable for its long legs and neck, pink to reddish feathers, and curved bill adapted for filter feeding.
- Breeding: Breeds in colonies; nests made of mud, typically laying one to three eggs which are incubated by both parents.
- Conservation Status: Classified as Least Concern by the IUCN, though some populations face threats from habitat loss and pollution.
- Unique Behaviors: Known for their synchronized group feeding and courtship displays, as well as their ability to stand on one leg.
- Range and Migration: Breeding populations are found in parts of Africa, the Middle East, and southern Europe; migratory in response to seasonal changes and food availability.
More (UPDATE ALL LINKS):
- Greater Flamingo at Birds of the World
- Greater Flamingo at BirdLife DataZone
- Greater Flamingo at eBird
- Greater Flamingo at Avibase
- Greater Flamingo at Wikipedia
- Greater Flamingo at iNaturalist
Photos from 4 October 2025 near Vila Franca de Xira, Portugal; and 13, 14 an 17 October near Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer, France; post last updated on 14 December 2025.
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Added to the Bird of the Week post hosted by I.J on his site Don’t Hold Your Breath, a delightful travel blog I recently discovered.
Also added to the Lens-Artists weekly photo challenge #378, this week on the theme of ‘Last chance’, as in the last chance for 2025, hosted by Tina and Travels and Trifles. That provided just the inspiration and swift kick I needed to finally publish this gallery. Thank you.
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Bob, what an amazing gallery! Those birds may look very odd, but they are a beauty. The eyes and long legs make them stand out. I loved the whole gallery, and especially, the red accents in the flamingo’s plumage. Gorgeous!
Thank you Egidio – they are oddities. The balancing acts are amazing.
In November, we went to Port Aransas for a week. There’s a bird center there. This year, there is a new resident that showed up there. It got off course because of a hurricane. There is one lonesome pink flamingo among all the other birds. It stands out.
I am rather speechless, really beautiful captures. The angles and details you have captured. I can honestly say I wish I’d taken them, those yes are odd, but strangely appealing
Thank you Ritva – these were amazing spots. I’m looking forward to visiting again. Hopefully a few will recognise me. 🙂
Majestic birds indeed – wonderful photography! Happy Holidays!
Happy to have provided the “swift kick” that pushed you to publish this amazing gallery Bob. I can just see you excitedly working the gatherings looking for just the perfect angle/behavior/light/personality 😉. And find them you did!! I look forward to future galleries as well – your images are exquisite. I’ve only seen flamingos once in the wild during our visit to South America. It was quite thrilling for a bird-lover like me but sadly they were a bit beyond my range despite using my longest lens. I suppose the good news is after taking a few images from a distance I just sat back and enjoyed the watch! Thanks for the fond reminder and Happy Holidays to you with thanks for this early gift.
Thanks Tina. Where in South America? I’ve crossed paths with a few species there as well. And yes, same – sitting back and enjoying.
Bob, your gallery is fantastic, but what strikes me most about these beautiful birds is the yellow eyes.
Great great photos. Excellent. Love that flight formation. And we think dinosaurs were weird!!
So beautiful, and great photograps, Thank you, Love, nia
Thank you Nia. By the way, you may recall we were connected on my previous blog, Piran Cafe, which faded away some years ago. I hope this finds you well!
You are welcome, sorry but I can’t remember now, I am sorry about Piran Cafe blog, but nice you have a new one. With beautiful photographs. Thank you again, Have a nice day, Love, nia
Amazing gallery Bob.
Just added to my list of places to visit when back in Lisbon, thank you so much! Beautiful photos, Bob, they are amazing creatures.
Truly fascinating Bob, and the photographs are stunning! I particularly liked the ‘Synchronised balancing’ photo with the birds’ reflections, and the flock of Flamingoes in flight.
Lovely shots of a majestic bird. Don’t you get mixed flocks of lesser and greater flamingoes in the Tagus estuary and Rhone delta? I normally get to see mixed flocks only. Of course, since greater flamingoes are more widespread, there have to be places where you see them but not the lesser flamingoes.
Thanks for adding your post to the invitation.
Lesser Flamingos are apparently still quite rare in southern Europe. I didn’t ask at Tagus reserve but there were no sighting reported recently in the area of the Camargue we visited.
Thank you for the prompt to check into Lesser Flamingos in southern Europe. I’ll check a few sources and then add a couple paragraphs to the post.
Great pictures and info. I didn’t see flamingos at EVOA 35 years ago, but so many species have moved further north in that time. There were a few overwintering in the Doñana NP in Spain, and of course in the Rhone Delta when I got there a few months later. This year, we saw hundreds on the Greek Island of Lesvos – which claims to have the highest numbers of greater flamingos in Europe – over 2000 at times.
Superb photographs!
Thank you!
Bob, amazing images of these beautiful flamingos.