- Three flamingos were recently killed following a collision with overhead power lines in Mannar, in northern Sri Lanka, highlighting the threat posed by wind power structures to migratory birds.
- Flamingos also disappeared from Bundala, a popular Ramsar wetland in the island’s south, after irrigation-driven freshwater changes reduced salinity and eliminated their food base.
- Globally, flamingos face threats from habitat loss, collisions due to infrastructure, and wetland degradation, despite their ecological and ecotourism importance.
- Meanwhile, International Flamingo Day is observed on April 26 to honor U.S. ornithologist John James Audubon, whose iconic “American Flamingo” painting helped popularize the bird and has highlighted its global cultural and conservation significance.
MANNAR, Sri Lanka — Each year, the arrival of greater flamingos transforms the lagoons of northern Sri Lanka into a mesmerizing spectacle of pale pink and white. Their synchronized movements across the shallow waters of Mannar attract birdwatchers, photographers, tourists and nature lovers from around the country and abroad.
But behind this beauty lies a growing crisis. Recently, three flamingos were killed in Mannar after a collision with overhead power lines that crossed their flight path. Initial reports suggested electrocution, but according to Department of Wildlife Conservation (DWC) veterinary surgeon Balachandran Giritharan, who conducted the necropsies, the birds were not electrocuted. Instead, their long necks were slashed mid-flight when they struck the cables.
The incident has renewed concerns among conservationists who have previously warned against energy infrastructure cutting across sensitive wetland habitats such as Vankalai Sanctuary, another Ramsar wetland in Mannar. Environmentalists had identified large waterbirds such as flamingos as being vulnerable to collisions.
The latest flamingo deaths also add to the mounting environmental concerns surrounding development projects, particularly in Mannar, including proposed wind power projects. The issue drew international attention after the withdrawal of developer Adani Green Energy Limited (AGEL) from a disputed wind power project in Sri Lanka earlier this year. The Mannar region, with its strategic wind resources, has increasingly become a battleground between renewable energy expansion and biodiversity conservation.
A global threat to flamingos
Across the world, power lines are recognized as a major threat to flamingos and other large waterbirds.
In parts of India, especially around Gujarat’s salt pans and wetlands frequented by flamingos, conservationists have reported similar fatalities linked to power infrastructure. According to a 2011 study, 76 flamingos were killed due to collisions with electric wires from 2002-2005.
In Spain, studies around wetland systems have documented flamingo deaths from collisions with poorly marked transmission lines, with at least one power company sued for causing the deaths of birds. Flamingo fatalities due to power line collisions have also been found in several African countries, with a 2022 report by the IUCN, the global wildlife conservation authority, listing 464 flamingo deaths in South Africa alone from 1997-2019.
Flamingos are particularly vulnerable due to their flight behavior. These birds often travel in large flocks at dawn, dusk or night, moving between feeding and roosting grounds. Their long necks and wingspans, combined with relatively poor maneuverability during flight, make collisions with cables especially dangerous, said Sampath S. Seneviratne, an ornithologist and a professor of zoology with the University of Colombo.
Conservationists globally have advocated for mitigation measures such as underground cabling in sensitive wetlands, bird diverters attached to wires, rerouting transmission lines away from migration paths, and conducting rigorous environmental impact assessments before infrastructure development.
Disappearing flamingos of Bundala
While Mannar now hosts Sri Lanka’s most iconic flamingo gatherings, another wetland at the other end of the island once held that distinct reputation.
During the 1980s and early 1990s, the lagoons of the Bundala National Park in the south, Sri Lanka’s first Ramsar wetland, regularly hosted large flocks of greater flamingos (Phoenicopterus roseus), often numbering more than 1,000 birds. The shallow saline lagoons provided ideal feeding grounds rich in tiny crustaceans and algae for these filter feeders.
But the flamingos gradually stopped coming, puzzling everyone. Scientists later identified the reason as ecological change linked to irrigation development.
“Freshwater released into the Bundala lagoon system has altered the salinity of the wetlands. As salinity decreased, the small crustaceans like brine shrimp and microorganisms that flamingos depended on have disappeared, and without sufficient food resources, the birds have abandoned the habitat,” said Sarath Kotagama, an ornithologist and professor emeritus at the University of Colombo.
The case of Bundala has become a classic example of how hydrological alterations that initially look benign can adversely impact the wetland ecosystems, even when the habitat itself appears visually intact, Kotagama told Mongabay.
Why flamingos matter
The flamingo is a star among migratory birds and has become central to nature tourism in Mannar, with hotels, guides and local businesses increasingly dependent on seasonal bird tourism.
“When the flamingos arrive, hotel occupancy shows an immediate and significant rise,” said Indika Jayathissa, guest relations officer at the Palmyrah House, a luxury hotel in Mannar. “Wildlife photographers and birdwatchers often spend days tracking flamingo movements across Mannar’s lagoons, creating a growing ecotourism niche around the beautiful birds. Bird-watchers and photographers come from different parts of Sri Lanka and overseas just to witness the flamingo flocks,” Jayathissa told Mongabay.
There are six flamingo species in the world and Sri Lanka is visited primarily by the greater flamingo. The feathered visitors are threatened by wetland reclamation, pollution, tourism activity, industrial development, poaching, climate change, and collisions with human infrastructure such as power lines are increasing, making it mandatory to be mindful of flamingo populations, Seneviratne said.
Globally, flamingo conservation is coordinated through the IUCN’s Flamingo Specialist Group, a network of scientists and conservationists working to improve research and monitor and protect flamingo habitats worldwide.
Paul Rose, a member of the group, told Mongabay climate change could be a particular worrying factor for flamingos as they occur in a specialized niche, where they do not adapt to changing conditions quickly. If climate change degrades wetland environments, by altering water chemistry or changing rainfall patterns, flamingos may be left with nowhere to go. Flamingos may be pushed out of wetland habitats by invasive species, and this could impact their reproductive rates, which is evidenced in Bundala, Rose said.
The Andean flamingo (Phoenicoparrus andinus) is the most threatened, with wild populations estimated to be approximately 38,000, according to Rose. A flamingo’s long lifespan, which is 50-plus years, and generation time (their chicks mature slowly and they don’t breed every year) can make them more prone to threats, he added.
Recently, conservationists of the Flamingo Specialist Group also established International Flamingo Day, observed on April 26. The date honors the birthday of famed U.S. ornithologist and artist John James Audubon, whose celebrated painting “American Flamingo” is considered one of the most iconic bird illustrations, inspiring the choice of the commemorative day.
Banner Image: Flamingos killed by power line collision in Mannar, in northern Sri Lanka, spark a fresh debate on increasing power infrastructure in the ecologically sensitive area. Image courtesy of the Mannar Bird Club.
Citation:
Tere, A., & Parasharya, B. M. (2011). Flamingo mortality due to collision with high tension electric wires in Gujarat, India. Journal of Threatened Taxa, 3(11), 2192-2201. doi:10.11609/JoTT.o1689.2192-201
Credits
