Bird
The greater flamingo
Phoenicopterus roseus
Greater flamingos live in coastal ponds and lagoons in West Africa, South Africa, East India, Iran, South Russia and the Mediterranean basin.
Distinctive features
They feed on algae, plankton and crustaceans rich in carotenoid pigments which gives them their pink colour. In France, wild populations can be found in Camargue.
Anecdote
The Grande Volière at the Parc zoologique de Paris is home to a group of around fifty flamingos. A marshy area has been created so that these birds can build their nests, which are mounds of mud up to 40 cm high.
