Flamingo — Rift bloom swings · 225

Yes. Phoeniconaias minor can number more than a million on Rift soda lakes when Arthrospira blooms. Breeding still hinges on sites like Lake Natron. 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.

They use salt glands and fresh seeps. Chicks on soda lakes need adult crop milk and freshwater access. Is the plastic lawn flamingo part of the biology story? Union Products’ 1957 pink flamingo (Don Featherstone) is culture, not field mark — but it fixed the colour in US suburbia more firmly than field guides did.