With the arrival of Greater Flamingo (also known as Rajahamsam in Malayalam) towards the paddy fields, birdwatching is creating waves in the tourism field of Kerala. With the majestic look, beauty, and sheer size these flamingos create a big impact on the people who spot them. They can fly up to 600 km in one day often migrating in large flocks.
This bird is commonly seen in Mumbai, Kutch, and Gujarat. And after flying thousands of km during the months of November – February it also reaches Kerala.
There were more sightings from all over the state in the 21st century. The highest number of birds was sighted in 2016. Hundreds of them reach the State to escape from the cold in the northern hemisphere. Most of the sightings were recorded from the wetlands of central Kerala (Alappuzha, Malappuram, Thrissur, Kottayam, and Kochi), followed by northern Kerala (Kannur and Calicut).
Greater Flamingos willingly explore all types of wetlands but prefer coastal wetlands. In Kerala, birds prefer saline and salty wetlands as compared to freshwater wetlands. Even though all of these are coastal wetlands in nature, lying below the sea level.
This year the bird was sighted in Kerala mainly at the Kole paddy fields. One of the birds was also spotted at Kadamakudi in Ernakulam. And a few have been visiting Kandakadavu (A rural village in Kochi) for three years. Post-2010, the number of flamingo sightings have increased in the southern part of India. And Kerala when it comes to Kerala, these birds should be considered autumnal passage migrants or mainly winter stragglers.
