Flamingos are definitely not the first species that comes to mind when I think of urban birds, however, that might change if I ever travel to flamingo city!
As someone who has personally only seen flamingos in captivity, @shivangmehtaNW‘s photos of hundreds of these vivid birds gathered in front of sprawling apartment buildings were an unexpected sight. They previously were not a species I associated with urban settings. However, according to Mrugank Prabhu, of the Bombay National History Society, these flamingos have benefited from increased urbanization! Many more flamingos began visiting Mumbai’s Thane Creek in recent decades, alongside the city’s rapid expansion. Mumbai’s growth led to increased sewage run-off into Thane Creek, which cultivated the algae population, the flamingos’ main food source.
Researchers have only just begun to untangle the diverse impacts of urban growth. And these flamingos are a great reminder that urbanization is not wholly negative for every species it encounters. Further research and studies will help us continue to unravel how different species are affected and how best to ethically develop cities in the coming years.
Do you have a photo or video of an urban species doing something unusual? What about a rare plant or animal that you were surprised to find in a city? If so, Tweet at us, and you could be featured as a future observation of the week!
References
Chandrashekhar, V. (2022, December 22). Mumbai is Embracing the 100,000 Flamingos That Winter On its Coast. Smithsonian Magazine. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/mumbai-is-embracing-100000-flamingos-that-winter-on-its-coast-180981343/
Salvador, A., Rendon, M., Amat, J., Rendon-Martos, M. (2022, August 12). Greater Flamingo (Phoenicopterus roseus). Birds of the World. https://birdsoftheworld.org/bow/species/grefla3/
Featured image: © Kristy Morley, some rights reserved (CC-BY)
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