If you are lucky enough to soon go to the south of France and more particularly to the Camargue, you will perhaps be lucky enough to be able to observe with your own eyes the nuptial parade of pink flamingos.
Pink flamingos, birds like no other
Pink flamingos or Phoenicopterus roseusare among the largest birds that you can be lucky enough to see in Europe. Easily recognizable thanks to their particular color, they are the most widespread flamingos in the world, we know them above all for a somewhat particular way of standing.
Indeed, if you were asked to draw pink flamingos, there is a good chance that you would depict them standing on one leg. This allows them to retain maximum heat by folding one of their featherless legs.
But if they are also particular, it is because of their migration and reproduction cycle. Indeed, between autumn and the beginning of winter, in Europe, we can observe many birds forming gigantic groups and offering us an aerobatics show before leaving for warmer places to spend the winter. Then in spring comes the mating season and a new reproductive cycle begins.
As for the Camargue flamingos, the vast majority of them stay in the south of France during the year when they breed… between December and March.
A show not to be missed
Before these magnificent birds choose a partner and give birth to a young, the traditional courtship displays necessarily take place. Animal flirting techniques that follow well-worked choreographies.
And for flamingos, as for many species, there is no such thing as discretion. Everything is good to impress your girlfriend or “boyfriend”. And yes, because these birds do not only rely on the male to seduce, the female actively participates in this annual ritual.
To do this, in large groups, males and females come together to “dance”, do a beak to beak, open their wings… and find a healthy partner who may be able to perpetuate the species.
The Pont du Gau, the perfect place to enjoy it
In the Camargue, even if there are many places to observe the nuptial parade of pink flamingos, but also other birds, we cannot recommend the Pont de Gau ornithological park enough.
In the middle of a nature reserve, this place is perfect for bird watching, and not just pink flamingos. Indeed, alongside the masters of the colorful places, we find ducks, herons, kingfishers and harriers.
If you come there at first light, with a guide, or when the sun begins to set, you will also have the opportunity to see the flight of these majestic birds between the Camargue marshes and their island where they spend the night.
Source: Le Figaro
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