Which lake in Uganda is famous for flamingo birds? – Where can I see flamingos?
Uganda is host to the Lesser Flamingos seen by Uganda birding safari tourists at Lake Munyanyange in the Katwe area of Queen Elizabeth National Park. Lake Munyanyange is a small seasonal shallow crater lake located to the North East of Katwe (Salt Lake area) town. The lake is an important habitat for migratory birds and has one of the largest concentrations of the lesser black-backed gulls, Larus fuscus, and other waders. Lake Munyanyange attracts birds that migrate from as far as Kenya and Canada among other countries some of them being the White Browed Robbin Chats, Flamingos, Desert Cisticolas, and many more. This makes not only this area but Queen Elizabeth National Park a top birding Uganda safari destination since its home to about 600 bird species.
Lesser Flamingo in Uganda
Scientifically referred to as Phoeniconaias minor, the Lesser Flamingo is among the unique bird species explored by birders on safari in Uganda. Noted to be species of Flamingo thriving in sub-Saharan Africa and some parts of India, the Lesser Flamingos are the only species in the Phoeniconaias genus. The Lesser Flamingos are recorded as the smallest of all the Flamingo species though, by most standards, it is a large and tall bird as viewed on Uganda bird-watching safaris. Its weight stretches from 1.2 to 2.7kg while the height is between 80 – 90cm. The body length from the beak to the tail is 90 – 105cm which is similar to that of the wingspan. The plumage of the Lesser Flamingo is pinkish white.
It majorly feeds on algae that occur in alkaline lakes and Spirulina just like it is at the Uganda tour destination of Lake Munyanyange. On breeding, the lesser flamingos build the mud nest stretching to 30cm to prevent flooding and ensuring cool temperature. Each bird lays a single chalk-colored egg which is incubated by both parents in shifts of 24 hours for a period of twenty-eight (28) days. Following the hatching, the chick which is grey in color consumes its shell after which it is fed on a liquid soup by the parents for a few months. The chicks soon join the crèches that can even number to thousands.
