Flamingo in 1990s: Natron and lithium
[416] [read-flamingo-12-16] In 1990s, the field log for Flamingo is headed “Natron and lithium.” The figure kept beside that heading is 2010. It is a count or a date from the work, not a rank of the species’ worth. A zoo birthday card does not replace the log. Nakuru and Bogoria counts tracked boom-bust Arthrospira years under changing hydrology.
Long-legged filter feeders whose bent bills and carotenoid diets turn alkaline lakes into pink cities. Dietary carotenoids from brine shrimp and cyanobacteria deposit in feathers. A white flamingo is usually a diet or age story, not a different species. The bird feeds with the head inverted. The upper jaw is the mobile filter; lamellae comb a soup of algae and invertebrates.
Are lesser flamingos the East African pink clouds? Yes. Phoeniconaias minor can number more than a million on Rift soda lakes when Arthrospira blooms. Breeding still hinges on sites like Lake Natron. What is the Camargue’s role in Europe? Salt pans and Tour du Valat management rebuilt a greater flamingo colony that now seeds Mediterranean satellites.
Do American flamingos still belong in Florida? A breeding population has returned to Florida Bay after a long absence. Some birds are escapees; others are wild Caribbean wanderers — the mix is a current field argument. Why do Andean flamingos look more at risk? High-Andean salars face lithium and water extraction. Three highland species share a small set of lakes.
Keep 1990s, “Natron and lithium,” and 2010 together or the note on Flamingo stops being that year’s record.1990s
Figures to keep
- Year of the note
- 1990s
- Figure to keep
- 2010
- Species
- Flamingo
- Line in the log
- Natron and lithium
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