📸 PhotoPhoto: taken by myself · CC BY-SA 3.0 de · Wikimedia Commons Source
Lesser Flamingo
Phoeniconaias minor (Lesser Flamingo · コフラミンゴ)
💡 Everyday Comparisons for Size, Mass & Speed
- 💡 Its maximum weight of about 1.8 kg is slightly lighter than a 2 L bottle of water, and its wingspan of 1.1 m is similar to adult waist height (about 1 m) (Comparison).
- 💡 At Lake Nakuru and Lake Bogoria in Kenya, ecotourism centers on flamingos, and over 1 million Lesser Flamingos can be seen from park roads (Animal Diversity Web).
Reference standards: coach bus ~12 m, mid-size car ~4.9 m, compact car ~1 t, basketball hoop 3.05 m, credit card 8.56 cm.
Site-computed relative index from recorded values; not a formal scientific metric.
📖 1. Overview
The Lesser Flamingo is the smallest species of flamingo, gathering in huge flocks on alkaline salt lakes in Africa.
🦴 2. Anatomy & Morphology
Its long neck curves into an S-shape, its legs are slender and pink, its plumage ranges from pale pink to red, and its flight feathers are black. Its feet are fully webbed and about 11 cm wide.
🔍 3. Ecology & Behavior
Specializing in microscopic cyanobacteria in alkaline lakes, it eats about 72 g a day along with algae and copepods. Flock members alert one another to predators, and during the breeding season 500–1,000 birds gather for synchronized group courtship dances.
🇰🇷 4. Connection to Korea
No direct record connecting this species to Korea has been found.
📚 Sources & References
- • IUCN Red List NT (2018) — https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/22697369/129912906
- • IUCN Red List category NT — latest assessment at iucnredlist.org
- • doi.org — avilist.v2026
- • iucnredlist.org — 129912906
- • wikidata.org — Q242369
- • commons.wikimedia.org — File:Flamingo in Amboseli National Park.jpg
- • animaldiversity.org — Phoeniconaias minor
- • Silhouette: PhyloPic — Kai Caspar · CC0 1.0 (Related taxon silhouette — Phoenicopterus ruber)
Recorded dimensions are widely cited representative estimates from public literature and may vary by study or specimen.