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Large bird that inhabits shallow waterbodies
Scientific Name: Phoenicopterus roseus
Common Name: Greater Flamingo
Dimensions: Length: 125 – 145 cm, Wing Span: 140 – 165 cm
Medium: model
Registration Number: RPN.2018.0244.2
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The greater flamingo is a large wading bird with pinkish plumage, known for its distinctive long legs and neck. It possesses a unique bill shaped like a boomerang. In adulthood, its white feathers turn pinkish due to its diet, and it develops reddish upper wings. Juveniles are smaller, with greyish plumage and brown markings on their body.
Habitat and Biology
The greater flamingo lives in shallow water habitats like saline lagoons, saltpans, and large saline lakes, where the water is about a meter deep over a wide area. It has a unique feeding behavior where it tilts its head upside down in the water, using its specialized bill to filter water and extract food. Its diet includes crustaceans, molluscs, annelid worms, aquatic insect larvae, small leaves, terrestrial insects, diatoms, and algae.
ECO System Qatar
Mangroves are saltwater-adapted trees and shrubs growing in coastal areas' intertidal zones. Their intricate root systems offer natural fish habitats, serve as marine species nurseries, and protect coastlines from erosion by waves and storms. Qatar hosts the Avicennia Marina species, commonly called grey or white mangroves, mainly on the east coast. The most significant mangrove forests are at Al Thakira and Al Khor, boasting the oldest and largest mangroves. Despite ongoing reforestation efforts by the government, development led to the uprooting of the mangrove lake in Al Wakra.
PUBLICATIONS AND RESEARCH
Jennings, Michael C. (Author), Krupp, Friedhelm (Editor), Al-Suwaiyel, Mohammed bin Ibrahim (Preface By). (Series: Fauna of Arabia, Volume: 25). Atlas of the Breeding Birds of Arabia. Publisher: Karger Libri. 2010.