- The Ornithological Park is the best site for viewing Flamingos and other wild birds in France.
- It is located at Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer in the Camargue, Bouches-du-Rhone.
Description
- Visitors can walk along platforms surrounding the lagoons and easily see and photograph the groups of wild birds including the flamingos.
Pink Flamingo
- The Flamingo, meaning flame-coloured in Spanish, is a large pink long-legged wading bird which makes a distinct honking sound.
- The Greater Flamingo is one of six species of Flamingo that is native to Southern Europe, parts of Africa and south and southwest Asia.
- The pink colour of the Flamingo is derived from beta-carotene that is present in the algae that they eat.
- Flamingos filter their food through specially adapted bills which they use upside-down. The bill separates the silt from the brine-shrimp and algae that they feed on.
- Flamingos live in colonies that may consist of thousands of birds. A group of Flamingos is called a ‘Flamboyance’.
- Each year during the mating season, Flamingos perform elaborate dance rituals, then pair for breeding and remain together for the rest of the year.
- Other Sites in the Camargue are Salin-de-Giraud where the surrounding marshes and lagoons will require binoculars, as the birds are distant.
Website
Image: Parc Ornithologique du Pont de Gau, Camargue.
Map: Parc Ornithologique du Pont de Gau, Camargue.