Slovenia records first-ever sighting of American flamingo

A visitor to the Sečovlje salt pans spotted an American flamingo among a flock of common flamingos in late October in what was the first sighting of this orange-red large bird ever in Slovenia.

Only decades ago, flamingos were rarely seen in Slovenia, but have since become regular visitors to the marshes along the coast, CE Report quotes The Slovenia Times.

The American flamingo (Phoenicopterus ruber) is widely recognisable for its distinct colour. After the initial sighting, it was spotted several more times by the staff of the Sečovlje Nature Park and other visitors. However, the flock seems to have moved on in recent days.

The American flamingos are native to the Caribbean, the Bahamas and Central America, and the bird spotted in Sečovlje most likely escaped captivity in Europe and joined a flock of wild flamingos, according to Bia Rakar, head of the Sečovlje Nature Park.

During winter time, flamingos are often spotted at the park, but the American flamingo sighting was the first ever in Slovenia, Rakar told the Slovenian Press Agency, pointing out that American flamingos are very rare all across Europe. They are most common in Italy, France and Spain, which is where the park believes this bird came from as well.

Flamingos can be seen in the Sečovlje reserve between October and the end of spring. Sometimes there can be 300 of them, at times only a few dozen, Rakar said. Data collected from ringed birds show that they usually come here from Italy, France and Spain.

Underlining that park visitors must remain on pathways and must not climb dams criss-crossing the salt pans, Rakar noted that flamingos are most often seen in the southern part of the park called Fontanigge. Occasionally they can also be spotted in Lera, at the main entrance to the park.

Photo: M. Zajc/Sečovlje Nature Park