The pink flamingo in Yucatan

The most popular pink birds in the world can be seen in Mexico and there is an abundant amount of this species in the natural reserves of the Yucatan peninsula that you can observe in guided walks.

There are three types of flamingos that are currently alive:

• Phoenicopterus ruber (pink flamingo, also known as Caribbean flamingo)
• Phoenicopterus roseus (common flamingo of Africa, Asia and Europe)
• Phoenicopterus chilensis (Chilean or austral flamenco of South America)

Focus on the pink flamingo (Phoenicopterus ruber) found in the Yucatan peninsula, although it also inhabits other tropical areas of the Americas such as: the Antilles, northern Colombia, Venezuela, the Galapagos Islands and northern Honduras.

Why is this bird in Yucatan?

Let’s start by clarifying that Yucatan has a large number of natural areas with ideal characteristics for these birds, are the Ciénegas or wetlands, these areas of land near the beach with floods of 50 cm to 3 m allow a muddy soil sparse of oxygen with fresh water and salty surrounded by mangroves, flooded grasslands with shrubs and herbs.

These ecosystems are home to the pink flamingo (Phoenicopterus ruber) since they contain a large amount of food: insects, shrimp, plants and microscopic algae.

Its tip inclined downwards can only move the upper part and to obtain food from the clay soil it must submerge the head using the beak as a shovel equipped with fine linear plates called “lamellas” that filter the muddy bottom.

The pink flamingo comes to live about 40 years, the breeding time is between the month of May and August, the female lays only one egg that hatches in 32 days. In the coastal zone of Yucatan there are two protected areas by the CONANP (National Commission of Natural Protected Areas) called Celestún and Ría lagartos, both of them have tourist tours by boat.

Other place to see flamingos: Sisal Beach and Mangrooves

Throughout the year you can see pink flamingo but in the winter time the number of this species increases as it migrates from other areas looking for a warm climate in Yucatan.

How to go Celestún

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