![lake natron flamingo nest lake natron flamingo nest](https://images.theconversation.com/files/151850/original/image-20170105-18665-xlh6a9.jpg)
The most common birds of Ngorongoro crater are Ngorongoro crater flamingos, Secretary bird, hammerKop, Hadadas Ibis, Gray Heron, Purple Heron, Great White Pelican, long-tailed Lapwing, Gray Crowned Crane, Lovebird, Starlings, Kori Bustard, Northern Aneater Chat, Speke’s weaver, Egyptian Vulture and many more. While permanent residents are those birds that leave in the Ngorongoro crater always. The migratory birds come from different parts of the world as far as Europe and America. The migratory birds are those that come to the Ngorongoro crater seasonally and most of them come during the rainy season from March to May for breeding purposes only. The Ngorongoro crater birding species are subdivided into two migratory birds and permanent residents. Ngorongoro also termed as “Eden of Africa” is the birding paradise that has over 450 bird with flamingos taking the great show as they are found in large numbers close together at their flock. This is one of the most unique characters of flamingos in the world compared to other birds.įlamingos are seen in different alkaline lakes of Tanzania like Lake Manyara, Arusha national park, Lake Natron and the Magadi lake in Ngorongoro. The chick mostly takes a period of one week before it leaves the nest and joins the crèche-that is a group of thousands of chicks being looked after by a few selected adult birds. The feeding of the young chick is done by both parents as they feed the chick with a milky liquid called “crop milk”. The little hatched grey flamingos feed on their eggshell and the milky juice fed by the adults. After the nest is built, one egg is laid which is incubated for 28 days by both male and female flamingos.
![lake natron flamingo nest lake natron flamingo nest](https://www.earthtouchnews.com/media/1947727/lake-natron_2017_01_09.jpg)
The breeding season starts from October to December when the flamingos start building their nests. The other great reason why they build a high nest is to avoid flooding since they do it near the lake barks that can easily flood especially during raining season. Their nests are not very big but can stand up to 50cm tall with a concave shape that protects the egg from rolling out. The nests are built by both females and male flamingos. Like all flamingos, Ngorongoro crater flamingos lay a single egg which is laid on a nest made up of mud. The heads always flag as the wings salute and match as they all assist in producing hormones that are used to help in assuring an increasing number of breeding pairs. Ngorongoro crater flamingos have courtship rituals that create separate breeding groups from other flocks with a beautiful synchronized display. Their feeding habit is unique as they eat while their heads are upside down! The algae grow in alkaline lakes which mostly turn in to pink when eaten by the flamingos and this turns even the flamingos themselves to pink. Ngorongoro crater flamingos have specialized bills that filter and separate waste from the food when feeding. Their diet is mainly algae, crustaceans, brine shrimp and plankton. In Tanzania, flamingos can also be found in Lake Natron. The flamingos like inhabiting shallow lakes, wetlands, and lagoons. The Ngorongoro crater flamingos are attracted by the shallow alkaline lake that is found in the middle of the crater that is Lake Magadi. It’s out of this that they are very social and live in flocks and very rare to see them lonely but in groups of tens of thousands. Ngorongoro crater flamingos are lesser which are smaller but like leaving in a group of over 1000 birds. The greater flamingos are 150 cm tall when standing upright weighing up to 4 kilograms. The greater are huge and bigger than lesser flamingos. The difference between greater flamingos and lesser flamingos is the size.
![lake natron flamingo nest lake natron flamingo nest](http://www.shahrogersphotography.com/gallery/Flamingo/IMG_4931.jpg)
There are around 4 species of flamingos with only two species found in Africa and those are the Lesser Flamingos and Greater Flamingos. The lesser flamingos are one of the flamingo species that are found in Africa with its great population found in Kenya’s Lake Nakuru and Naivasha. The Ngorongoro crater flamingos feed on the dead algae found at the park lake.
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Flamingos like living in salty lakes like Lake Magadi in Ngorongoro which got its name from Masaai local language Magadi which means salt. Ngorongoro crater flamingos are lesser flamingos scientifically called Phoeniconaias Minor.