Population size and movements of the Greater Flamingo (<i>Phoenicopterus</i> <i>roseus</i>) in the Jaffna peninsula, Sri Lanka: Results from a long-term study

Abstract

The Greater Flamingo (Phoenicopterus roseus) is an uncommon migrant bird species found in Sri Lanka, and is a major attraction among avitourists. Jaffna Peninsula, Mannar Island, and the southeastern coastal areas are the known strongholds of this species in Sri Lanka. Previous studies on this species in the Jaffna Peninsula are limited, most probably due to the inaccessibility of the area during the three-decade long civil war. Hence, the objectives of the present study were to determine the population size and movements of the Greater Flamingo in major flocking areas in the Jaffna Peninsula. The study used point counts to determine population size. Binoculars and spotting scopes were used for observations. Counts were taken monthly for five years from April, 2013 to April, 2018 to cover both migratory and nonmigratory seasons. To determine their movements, we mapped the location of flocks using a GPS throughout the study period. The estimated total population size for Greater Flamingo in the Jaffna Peninsula is 6245±300. The highest average count (1081) was recorded from Nagar Kovil area with mean flock size of 367±73. Flamingos were recorded during both migratory and non-migratory seasons. The highest number of birds was observed from June-August. During the height of the dry season, flamingos moved away from western parts of the Jaffna Peninsula and concentrate on eastern parts possibly due to the higher abundance of food. The wetlands are the highly preferred habitats of the flamingos. The year-round presence of flamingos indicates that they remain in Sri Lanka beyond the migratory season as summer loiterers. The present study shows that the Jaffna Peninsula is an important area for the Greater Flamingo, thus protecting their preferred habitats is critical for their survival.

To be or not to be a migrant: the different movement behaviours of birds and insights into the migratory status of flamingos (Phoenicopteridae)

“…The six flamingo species have been frequently, but not unanimously (see below), considered migratory (Espino- Barros & Baldassarre 1989, McCulloch et al 2003, Johnson & Cézilly 2007, Sanz-Aguilar et al 2012, Béchet 2016, Wijesundara et al 2018. Indeed, these birds appear to possess variable types of movements that do not match the abovementioned attributes required to be considered strictly migratory (cf.…”

“…Another order frequently considered migratory is the Phoenicopteriformes (e.g. McCulloch et al 2003, IUCN 2018, Somenzari et al 2018, Wijesundara et al 2018, which comprises six extant species of flamingos in three genera: Phoenicopterus, Phoeniconaias and Phoenicoparrus (Winkler et al 2020, Gill et al 2021. Four species occur in the Americas: Caribbean (American) Flamingo Phoenicopterus ruber, Chilean Flamingo P. chilensis, Andean Flamingo Phoenicoparrus andinus and Puna (James's) Flamingo P. jamesi, whereas Greater Flamingo Phoenicopterus roseus and Lesser Flamingo Phoeniconaias minor occur in Eurasia and Africa (Winkler et al 2020).…”

“…McCulloch et al 2003, Balkiz et al 2007, Zaccara et al 2011). These movements have been frequently characterised as migration (McCulloch et al 2003, Somenzari et al 2018, Wijesundara et al 2018. Nevertheless, movements performed by flamingos do not seem to match the scientific and ecological concept of migration (del Hoyo 1992, Béchet 2016) and various authors have proposed terms to refer to these movements.…”

Diversity and Abundance of Waterbird Communities in the Jaffna and Kilinochchi Districts: Where do we have to go from here?

“…In recent times most of the published researches focused on diversity and abundance of waterbirds in the northern region, Sri Lanka. Studies have identified considerable number of birding areas with a high avitourism potential in the northern region of Sri Lanka (Kandasamy et al, 2016;Kandasamy et al, 2017a;Kandasamy et al, 2017b;Kandasamy et al, 2017c;Kandasamy et al, 2017d;Kandasamy et al, 2018;Rajkumar and Wijesundara, 2014;Rajkumar and Wijesundara, 2015a;Rajkumar and Wijesundara, 2015b;Rajkumar and Wijesundara, 2017;Wijesundara and Rajkumar, 2016;Wijesundara et al, 2018).…”

“…Although bird-related studies have been undertaken in the northern region of Sri Lanka (Kandasamy et al, 2016;Kandasamy et al, 2017a;Kandasamy et al, 2017b;Kandasamy et al, 2017c;Kandasamy et al, 2017d;Kandasamy et al, 2018;Rajkumar and Wijesundara, 2014;Rajkumar and Wijesundara, 2015a;Rajkumar and Wijesundara, 2015b;Rajkumar and Wijesundara, 2017;Wijesundara and Rajkumar, 2016;Wijesundara et al, 2018) waterbird communities have not been studied in many areas in the northern region of Sri Lanka as the area was inaccessible for three decades due to the armed conflict. Hence the present study was conducted to document the diversity and abundance of waterbirds in these districts and to find out the possibilities of ecotourism in selected areas in this region.…”