Greater Flamingo

Flamingos have been known to man for thousands of years and even worshipped at times. There are in cave paintings in Spain dating back to 5000BC and the Egyptians used them as a symbol to indicate the colour red and even regarded it as the living embodiment of the sun-god Ra.
They are strange looking birds and often referred to as the ‘Giraffe’ of the bird world. They are one of the larger wading birds using their long legs to wade into deep water and shuffle in the sediment disturbing various crustaceans which they feed on. This is where the strange looking beak is used to feed near the river bed sieving the murky water for food.
Distribution: Western Mediterranean down the west coast of Africa to Senegal and from eastern Mediterranean eastwards to Russia, India and Sri Lanka.
Diet: Algae, shrimps, molluscs and insect larvae