Greater Flamingos Found Nesting in Bulgaria for First Time Ever

Jerusalem, 9 April, 2023 (TPS) -- SOFIA, 09.04.2023 (BTA)
The Greater flamingos inhabiting Bulgaria’s Atanasovsko Lake have begun nesting. Experts of the Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds (BSPB) Saturday saw that at least 80 birds are positioned on nests in the lake. The newly formed colony is of some 600 individuals, giving hope that the number of nesting flamingos will increase in the coming days, the BSPB said in a Facebook post.

The experts warn people to keep their distance from the nesting birds and observe the regimes in the Atanasovsko Lake protected area, as flamingos are very sensitive to human disturbance.

For several years, Greater flamingos have been among the hundreds of species seen at Atanasovsko Lake, one of the pivotal biodiversity hotspots in the Black Sea biogeographical region. This year’s midwinter waterfowl census in Bulgaria registered 2,712 flamingos at Atanasovsko Lake, Pomorie Lake, and the Poda protected area. However, Saturday’s observation is the first case ever where flamingos have been seen nesting in Bulgaria.

There were some 159 Greater flamingos at Atanasovsko Lake in 2019. According to Radostina Tsenova of the Bulgarian Biodiversity Foundation, their growing number is proof of climate change. These flamingos come from nearby colonies in Turkiye and Greece; there are also ringed birds from France and Spain, the expert told BTA back in November.