It is a breathtaking sight to see massive groups of flamingos, also known as ‘flamboyances’, gathered around the lakes of East Africa. This can be witnessed in popular films such as Out of Africa and David Attenborough’s A Perfect Planet. However, recent studies have shown that the lesser flamingo is facing a threat of being displaced from its traditional feeding areas, which could have severe implications for the species’ future.A recent study conducted by researchers at King’s College London has found that the lesser flamingo is at risk of being driven out of its traditional feeding grounds, which could have serious implications for the survival of the species.
This is the first time that satellite earth observation data has been used to analyze the major flamingo feeding lakes in Ethiopia, Kenya, and Tanzania over a period of two decades. The study revealed that increasing water levels are leading to a decline in the birds’ primary food source.
The researchers caution that the flamingos may be forced to move to new, unprotected areas in search of food, particularly as higher levels of rainfall, associated with climate change, are predicted in the future.
ThThe researchers are urging for collaborative conservation efforts across borders, enhanced surveillance, and more sustainable land management around crucial flamingo lakes. Aidan Byrne, the primary author and a PhD candidate co-supervised by King’s College London and the Natural History Museum, emphasized that the area is the habitat for over 75% of the world’s lesser flamingo population, which is dwindling. Byrne also highlighted the heightened vulnerability of lesser flamingos in East Africa, especially with the projected rise in rainfall due to climate change. He stressed the need for better lake monitoring and catchment management to protect the flamingo population.practices, the highly specialized species found in soda lake ecosystems — such as lesser flamingos — could be at risk of disappearing,” he said.
The research, which was published in the journal Current Biology, marks the first time that satellite earth observation data has been used to analyze all 22 key flamingo feeding soda lakes in East Africa. This examination was paired with climate records and bird observation data spanning over two decades.
By conducting this extensive study, researchers were able to observe changes in food availability across the entire network of lakes for the first time, including significant declines in recent years.to a reduction in suitable habitat for flamingos, so it’s crucial to monitor and protect the lakes where they could potentially move to.”
The researchers used satellite imagery and remote sensing data to study the changes in lake surface area and habitat suitability for flamingos. They found that the lakes with the highest numbers of flamingos had smaller surface areas and higher salinity levels. These findings suggest that the flamingos are being forced to migrate from their traditional feeding and breeding sites due to changes in habitat suitability. Dr Tebbs emphasized the importance of conservation efforts to protect the remaining lakes that could serve as future habitats for the flamingos.to lesser flamingos becoming increasingly dependent on lakes that lack protection, outside of existing nature reserves and protected areas, which has implications for conservation and ecotourism revenues.”
Soda lakes are some of the toughest environments on Earth, with high levels of salinity and alkalinity. Despite this, many species have adapted to thrive in these conditions, including the flamingo and its phytoplankton prey, which they filter from the water using their sieve-like beaks.
The study discovered that rising water levels in the region’s soda lakes were diluting their typically salty and alkaline characteristics.nature, leading to a decrease in phytoplankton populations, as indicated by the amount of chlorophyll-a, a photosynthetic pigment, present in the lakes.
During the 23 years of the study, the researchers observed a decrease in phytoplankton levels, which they attributed to an expansion in the surface areas of the lakes.
The most significant declines in phytoplankton biomass were found in the equatorial Kenyan lakes, particularly in the popular tourist lakes Bogoria, Nakuru, and Elmenteita, as well as in the northern Tanzanian lakes that experienced the largest increases in surface area.
Nakuru is a critical feeding ground for flamingos.html format and rewrite it in a way that is easy to read and understand, Keep HTML as-is, change the text as far as you can:
The lakes in East Africa have historically been home to over one million birds at a time. From 2009 to 2022, the surface area of the lake increased by 91% and the mean chlorophyll-a concentrations decreased by half.
Natron in Tanzania is the main breeding site for lesser flamingos in East Africa, but it has seen a decline in productivity due to rising water levels. If phytoplankton biomass continues to decrease in this and other nearby feeding lakes, it may no longer be a suitable breeding site.
Researchers from the Department of Geography at King’s College London and the Natural History Museum, among others, are studying the situation.The team of researchers also involved experts from National Museums of Kenya, the Tanzania Wildlife Research Institute, the Zoological Society of London, the University of Leicester, and the Freshwater Biological Association.