Context:

• Recently a flock of five greater flamingoes were spotted on the Coast of Hope Island in East Godavari River Estuarine Eco (EGREE) System after a long gap of 25 years.

2016 Water Bird Census

• These were last seen in a group about two and a half decades ago, while a lone flamingo was recorded in the 2016 Asian Water Bird Census in East Godavari district.

About Greater Flamingoes:

• The Greater Flamingo birds are the most widely found species among the Flamingo.
• These are long-legged and long-necked birds which are the filter feeders and get their characteristic pink colour from their diet of brine shrimps and algae available in the coastal wetlands.
• flamingoes are the indicators of healthy coastal environment,
• The species inhabits shallow eutrophic water bodies such as saline lagoons, saltpans and large saline or alkaline lakes.
• The species nests in large dense colonies on mudflats or islands of large water bodies.
• The species suffers from low reproductive success if exposed to disturbance at breeding colonies (e.g. from tourists, low-flying aircraft) or if water-levels surrounding nest-sites lower resulting in increased access to predation from ground predators such as foxes and feral dogs.
• IUCN Status: Least Concern (LC)

About Hope Island:

• Hope Island is a small tadpole shaped Island situated off the coast of Kakinada, Andhra Pradesh, in Bay of Bengal.
• It is formed from the sediment outflow carried by the waters of the Koringa River, a distributary of the Godavari.
• It acts as natural barrier for storm surges and possible tsunami events and provides tranquility to the ships anchored in Kakinada Bay which makes Kakinada Port one of the safest natural ports in the Eastern Coast of India.
• The sandy beaches of Hope island, along with the adjacent Coringa Wildlife Sanctuary are a nesting ground of the Vulnerable Olive Ridley turtle.

Source: TH & Wiki